Armageddon: Let Me Breathe (The Banishers Part 2)
by Tgonthefiery
Summary: After Ember's dad dies while fighting the demon Avaren, she decides to carry on his legacy as a demon hunter, only to be eternally damaged by an incident which gives her demon wings. However when a murderous spirit named Springtrap escapes the dark shadows of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, Ember sets out to put him back where he belongs.
1. Rise Higher Than the Morningstar

**This story takes place in the universe of Stage 01.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own FNaF, which belongs to Scott Cawthon. I only own Ember, Vivian, Veronica and all of the Demons who appear in this story.**

 **Edit: Added verse.**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Rise Higher Than the Morningstar**

 _And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, LORD, are with these people and that you, LORD, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night._

— _Numbers 14:14_

Her back always ached. The pain of constantly putting pressure on a part of her body caused her to strain every day. She was barely conscious whenever they weren't out. Every other kid her age made fun of her, because she couldn't run. She could barely walk. But that was only when she hid them. Her wings. She had got them because of a mistake. It had been her own fault; a mistake of her own doing.

Her father had taught her about his profession when she was very young. He killed demons. He summoned them and killed them, ridding the world of whatever curse they cast upon humans. But one day he had fallen. It had been a spirit of Greed, her mother said to her a few years later. It had corrupted his mind, and brought him to his knees. And then it had killed him.

Now her mother was frail. All she could do was lay in bed, and cry as her daughter looked after her, joining in her weeping. Sometimes she couldn't sleep at night. Her mother's cries were too loud, too fierce. But she knew one thing. She was going to carry on what her father started. And that was when she got her wings.

 **xXx**

Ember crept silently down the basement stairs, listening for anything down below. But all she heard was dripping water. Cautiously, she stepped off the stairs, walked towards a pentagram in the centre of the room. 5 candles, unlit, lay around the points of the star, their melted wax frozen. And inside the circle were the offerings. Ember had laid them all there, a few weeks back. She had been reluctant to carry out another ritual, after what had happened. But she had to put a stop to the curse she found upon her city.

It was barely noticeable, at least at first. She had discovered it when she was at the river, trailing her hand through the clear, running water. Well, it was usually clear, anyway. This time it was very different. There was a sticky fluid, crawling through the water, contaminating it. You only noticed it when you touched it; it was transparent. She had tried to put it off for a while. She had figured out which demon was responsible; Bavalach, the goat frog. She had laid out all of the correct offerings. The chalice and the grapes, the water and the bread, and the grass. But she hadn't had the urge to do it until today, when she had filled her cup and drank. The feeling hit her like a bullet. Her throat felt like it was on fire, clawing its way down into her chest, then her stomach. She knew then that she had to put a stop to this, no matter what.

So now she was back here, standing in the centre of the pentagram, lighting the candles one by one. At least she was armed, the way any sane person should be. Crucifix throwing stars. Holy water bombs. Salt syringes. And her harpoon gun, armed with a spear, a crucifix cut through the head. Whenever she needed a staff, she just separated the spear from the harpoon gun. It had been her father's, many years before. And now she used it the same way he once did.

As Ember lit the final candle, the offerings began to stir. Mist began to rise from the pentagram, and she backed away quickly as the offerings were sucked in one by one, except for the chalice and the grapes. She watched in amazement as the grapes began to turn to wine before her eyes, filling the chalice to the brim. Then a furred, ragged hand shot out from the mist, and grabbed the chalice. Ember took a deep breath as the hand tipped the chalice back, into the mouth of a goat's head, which began to rise from the mist. Finally, the mist cleared, and the demon was complete. From the waist up it appeared to be a humanoid goat, but from the waist down, it was a frog. Its webbed feet slapped the floor as it leapt towards Ember.

"Bavalach, the 20th Head of Lust." Ember said, trying to hide the fear in her voice. The demon tilted its head.

"You summoned me?" He asked, in a growling, deep voice. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that you need to stop." She said, gripping the trigger of the gun. "You mean the water?" There was glee in the creature's voice, sadism dripping from his mouth. "They should feel pain. They should understand pain. The pain of the fallen angels." He licked his lips, and began pacing towards her. She wasn't afraid of him any longer; she remembered having rigged her sprinkler system with holy water in case he attacked her. "But they don't deserve it." She protested. Bavalach smiled. "I disagree." He grabbed for her waist, but she was ready for it. The shirt she was wearing had two holes in the back, specifically placed. She spread her wings, and flew over him, landing on the other side of the pentagram.

Bavalach turned around and grimaced.

"Your wings." He muttered. "Which ritual did you mess up?" He asked. She hesitated for a moment.

"Avaren." Ember replied. "The 87th head of Greed." Bavalach growled. "So you offered him too much. It figures." Something flashed in her eyes. "I heard those words in my head 5 seconds before they came out of your mouth." He frowned. "What?" Ember grinned. "You're a Lust demon. You're easy to predict." He snarled. "So that's how you knew I'd go for your lower half. You did your homework. I applaud your effort. But you won't last long against me." "We'll see about that."

Bavalach lunged forward, swiping at her legs. Ember easily sidestepped, and stabbed one of her crucifix throwing stars into his side. He groaned and stumbled as blood and water poured from his side. Ember smiled at the sight.

"How ironic. You're a demon, yet you've been wounded the way your greatest enemy was." Bavalach screeched at her, leaping forward. Before he could close the distance, Ember raised the harpoon gun and fired, the crucifix spear pinning him to the wall. She stepped forward, ignoring his squeals of pain. "Believe me, I don't enjoy doing this." He looked at her, and for a moment she felt pity for this monster, this demon. "But I know you're not going to stop." Then she grabbed his horns, and ripped his head off.

 **xXx**

The walk to Ember's school was a short one. It was only a few blocks away, and since she lived near the forest, she travelled through there instead, where she could open up her wings without the risk of anyone seeing. Of course there were certain risks about travelling in the forest. For one thing, there were so many bodies hidden beneath the ground that it was basically a hotspot for spirits and demons. Most never came near her, since she always carried a crucifix and holy water. But a few sometimes decided to come too close for comfort.

Luckily though, this time none of them approached her. She saw a few though, mostly Demonites. They were skeletal humanoids, with ram skulls as heads. Demonites were actually demons who hadn't yet discovered their domains, or abilities, and therefore all of them shared the same form. However, Ember found that most Demonites weren't dangerous, just curious, and friendly in some cases. That was, until they found their domains, and became fully fledged demons.

They clung the edges of the dark shadows, observing her curiously, tilting their heads at her wings as she walked past them. The wings themselves weren't very big; they were about 3 quarters the length of her legs, and only about as wide as her chest. Each wing was tipped with a sharp talon, which glinted evilly in the sun.

When she arrived at school, she was greeted by the most annoying person she had ever met; Veronica Silver. As far as Ember was concerned, Veronica was the ultimate combination of each of The Seven Deadly Sins. To call her mean wasn't enough; she was a complete monster. Just seeing her gave Ember the urge to puke, and one day she actually had, though that was because Veronica had given her a strong punch to the stomach. But as far as she could tell, Veronica didn't bully her because she could barely walk. She did it because Ember was pretty. Maybe even prettier than her.

The difference between them was that Ember didn't go all out on trying to hook up with boys, the way Veronica did. She'd decided even when she was very young that trying to pick up boys was a waste of time, and whenever they'd try to hit on her, she'd secretly inject them with one of her syringes, giving them a terrible migraine and forcing them to retreat to the bathroom to vomit.

"Hey look." She grinned, and elbowed one of her cronies. Ember had never bothered to learn any of their names. To her, they were all the same. Big and stupid. And ugly. Really ugly. "It's Hot Rod, rolling in." She hated the nickname Veronica had given her. It was meant to be ironic, since she was so slow.

"At least I'm not a stingy little bitch." Ember drawled back, giving Veronica a look of hatred. She staggered through the gates, ignoring the mocking laughs coming from behind her.

"Hey, Ember." She smiled and turned around as she saw her friend Vivian. "Hey Vivian." She grinned as her friend fell into step beside her. Vivian was one of the people who couldn't give a crap about a person's reputation, unless she'd experienced it herself. Veronica had spread a message that Ember was crazy, and dangerous. Vivian hadn't believed a word. She'd called it complete bullshit after meeting Ember.

"Veronica giving you a hard time?" She asked. Ember grimaced.

"I guess so." She continued limping as she entered the building, her wings burning. "Um, Ember?" She turned towards Vivian. "Yeah?" "I've been meaning to ask you for a while…" Ember raised an eyebrow. "Why I walk so weird?" Vivian swallowed hard. "Yeah." Ember snickered at Vivian's nervous face. "Don't be so friggin nervous to ask me. Well, the easy answer is that I had an accident." Vivian frowned. "And…?" "And…" Ember bit her lip, and kept limping forward. "It did something to my back. Permanently." "Oh."

Vivian was silent the rest of the way to class. Ember eyed her, and noticed her head was down.

"It's alright. You're not the first one who asked me a question like that."

 _And he was a demon. You killed him last night._

She cringed as she thought of the night before. She had never liked killing unless it was necessary. A few times she had managed to befriend demons. There was the tailed spider crab Wrath demon Malech, who she'd convinced to stop blighting crops, Ridharg the sloth dog, who'd used to cause deaths in childbirth, Kronyc the four winged bat, who'd used to be a bringer of rabies, and Galhater the dragonfly, who once spread the dreaded sleeping sickness. All of those names were demons she'd managed to stop without violence. She'd managed to befriend them, make them see the world differently, and all without violence. Now she felt guilty as she thought of Bavalach, who had only wanted people to understand his pain. But he had gone too far. He had poisoned the city's water source. There wouldn't have been any turning back for him.

 _I still killed him though._

"Ember? Ember?" She snapped out of her momentary guilt trip as Vivian shook her. "Are you alright?" It took her a moment to remember where she was.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She muttered, trailing off and limping towards her class. Vivian eyed her, worried for her friend as she stared into space, hardly registering the world around her. She decided then that something was seriously wrong.


	2. Heads of the Leviathan

**This story takes place in the universe of Stage 01.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own FNaF, which belongs to Scott Cawthon. I only own Ember, Vivian, Veronica and all of the Demons who appear in this story.**

 **Edit: Added verse.**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Heads of the Leviathan**

 _And though they hide them in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thethen; and though they be hid from My sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and it shall bite them._

— _Amos 9:3_

The next time Ember went down to the basement, she was already facing the possibility she might have to kill again. Her hand clutched the iron crucifix, willing for it to give her strength. The demon she was going to summon tonight was named Sakhlam. She'd done quite a lot of research about him. He took the form of a four legged fish, and as far as people could tell, he was a powerful demon of Envy. And judging by the news, he'd been doing a pretty good job.

Recently, the amount of fish in the ocean had declined drastically. Envy was a pretty weak word for what the fishermen were feeling now. The other Envy demons were trying to cause a massive riot in Australia, so she'd figured it had to be Sakhlam. Killing those whose form he took; it was pretty barbaric. But at the same time, she saw a small amount of reason in the demon's plot.

This time the sacrifices were different. It had been difficult, but she had managed to gather each of them, before placing them correctly around the pentagram. Powdered fish bones. Various fruits. Water. And like always, the chalice and the grapes.

Ember spread her wings as the sacrifices were slowly taken into the rising mist. First the water and the bones, which would give him form. Then the fruits, which the mist came over, giving him nourishment. And finally, like with Bavalach, the grapes in the chalice turned to wine. Sakhlam's head peered out of the mist, and drank the wine greedily, the dark mist beginning to fall away from his body. His stocky legs crawled out of the abyss, scales shining in the dim candlelight.

His head turned towards Ember as he finished drinking from the chalice.

"Ember the demon hunter." His voice was smooth and rich, as if the creature was not thousands of years old. "Your reputation has spread quite significantly throughout the spiritual realm." Ember just raised an eyebrow.

"Sakhlam, the third head of Envy." She said, taking note of his razor sharp teeth. "Recently, you've been killing the fish of the sea, so that only a few remain." The demon gurgled at the mention of his doing. "Just doing my job." Ember frowned, but stayed silent at his response for a while. "Why did you summon me?" He asked curiously, staring at her intently. "Because you need to stop." She growled, eyeing his legs to make sure he wasn't about to take a swipe at her. "I don't see any reason for me to stop." He told her, baring his fangs. "And I don't see any reason for you to keep going." She pointed out.

Sakhlam gave her a strange look.

"Sighard did say you were very persuasive." He muttered. "He speaks very highly of you." Ember ignored him.

"Are you going to stop or not?" She asked, causing her wings to rise threateningly. Sakhlam sighed. "You do have a point. It's less work anyway."

Ember was surprised.

"That easy, huh? Makes me wonder why you did it in the first place." Sakhlam growled.

"Are we done?" He asked, clearly pissed off that she'd summoned him. "I barely get a wink of sleep, with you stupid mortals summoning me every 2 years." Ember just gave him a blank stare. "You tell me." She said, making him growl. Suddenly, he tilted his head. "You have a goldfish in this house." He stated, ignoring her. "Yeah. So?" She asked, eyeing him suspiciously. "It just died." He said, grinning.

Ember glared at him, realising what he was saying.

"You killed him?" She yelled, before lowering her voice at the end, in order to not wake her mother. Sakhlam just grinned.

"You didn't look after him well; he was near death. I just spared him the pain." There was an edge to his voice, which she didn't like. Like he was trying to prove a point. "We both know what you're thinking. You want to go against Avaren again." Ember frowned as he stepped closer. "Life in the spiritual realm is hard. Competition for food, rogue Demonites running like maniacs… my point is, you let me live in your house and I'll help you with your job." She thought for a moment, about Sakhlam's offer.

He was offering his assistance in fighting Avaren. The demon who'd killed her dad. The 87th head of Greed. A scowl crept onto her face. All he was asking was refuge. As a demon, he could take any form he wanted, even a tiny goldfish. Just like the one he just killed. Suddenly, she understood his plan. She face palmed.

"Fine." She muttered, consciously picturing a massively stupid grin spreading onto Sakhlam's scaled face. "Good." He said, before surprising her, pushing past and beginning to go up the stairs. "Hey!" She yelled after him, attempting to run up the stairs after him, but slipping on the trail of slime he'd left behind him. "Oh shit."

By the time she'd realised she should've just flown up the stairs, Sakhlam had already found the fish tank, complete with a floating goldfish corpse. He frowned, at the then shut his eyes. He dissolved into black mist, like the smoke which would rise from the pentagram. The mist began to float into the tank, flowing around the corpse, Ember watching in fascination as it was slowly absorbed.

Suddenly, the goldfish opened its eyes and stared at her, making her jump.

"This good enough?" Sakhlam's voice boomed out of the fish's mouth, just as loud as it was when he was in full form.

"Oh please." She groaned turned away, heading for the stairs. "Don't wake me up until morning, pal."

An amused smirk spread over his face.

"Huh. She called me pal." "I CAN STILL HEAR YOU!" His smirk quickly turned to a grimace. "Well, at least she's letting me stay." "SHUT UP!"

 **xXx**

"Wake up." Sakhlam opened an eye, groaning. "And I thought that _you_ would be the one to wake _me_ up." Ember said, grabbing a tiny plastic lunchbox out of the kitchen cupboard.

"You're gonna eat out of that?" He asked. "Nope." She grinned, opening it. "You're going in it." It took him a while for him to realise what she was about to do. "NO way, NO FRIGGIN-" Ember scooped him into the container and clamped the lid on top, and peered at Sakhlam as he flapped around in his goldfish body, holding him up to her eyes. "Listen to me. If you want to stay here, you're going to come with me to school. And you're going to tell me if you see anything unusual, anything which will help me. Got it? Or you're not welcome here." He gulped and nodded. "Good. Now, let's go." She stuffed him in her jacket pocket, and cursed as she ripped her jeans on the side of the drawer, causing dark red demon blood to spill out of her leg. "Fuck."

 **xXx**

The walk to school went by almost completely without demon contact. At the end of her route, a group of Demonites ran out of the woods behind her, but didn't seem to acknowledge her. Ember guessed that they were probably going to observe humans elsewhere, rather than just staying in the woods all the time. Shrugging, she turned the corner and retracted her wings, and groaned as her back instantly felt it was on fire.

 _Can't do anything about that. You have to go to school._

Sighing, she began staggering her way to school, snickering as she heard Sakhlam's voice coming from her pocket.

"Hurry the hell up!" Ember grinned and made her way through the gates, and ignoring Veronica, who was standing in her usual place.

"Oh, shut up. I'm entering the school. You have to speak quietly, you idiot." A satisfied smile made its way onto her face as she heard the noise coming from her pocket completely stop. "Good devil." She whispered quietly to him, looking around for Vivian, and making sure Veronica wasn't talking about her behind her back.

"Oh hey, Ember!" And there was Vivian walking beside her, as cheerful as always.

 _Can't really blame her. All she knowns is happiness, despite people like Veronica and her group of idiots._

"Hey." She turned around, and raised an eyebrow as she saw Veronica making a joke clearly directed towards her, and her friends forcing out a laugh, all the while nervously avoiding her gaze. "Even her friends treat her like the freaking dictator of the world. As if she can sentence them all to death with a wave of her hand."

"Maybe she can." Ember growled quietly as Sakhlam whispered from her pocket.

"Well whatever she can do, it doesn't matter. It doesn't apply to us." She smiled at Vivian's comment as they walked together, ignoring the watchful eyes of teachers and students alike.

 _How didn't she hear him…?_

Although they shared most classes together, they never really talked in classes. Both of them enjoyed studying unlike most other students, but they never compared themselves to anyone else. After all, for all they knew, Ember was crippled.

As Vivian waved her goodbye to go to whatever class she had, Sakhlam began talking.

"Thank god she's gone. I need to tell you something." Ember raised an eyebrow.

"What?" She asked. "Look at the grass outside." She turned, and frowned as she look at the grass in the yard, and saw nothing. "I don't see anything." She confessed, feeling a bit ridiculous. "Demons have extremely enhanced eyesight. I can literally see grass growing, and the growth rate of that grass is significantly slow." She walked back outside, and stared at the grass. "What are you saying?" Sakhlam stiffened. "There's a demon influencing the growth rate of the grass. Not just in this area; this seems way more widespread."

Ember narrowed her eyes, and almost broke into a run as she saw what was on the grass. It was a large bull, the kind which they used in bullfighting. But this bull was strange. Its face was not covered in hide, but the skull was completely exposed. A large, scorpion tale hung from its back, and its feet were clawed, glistening in the sunlight.

"What the-" Instantly, the demon turned towards her, and a red glint appeared in its eye.

"Move." Sakhlam whispered. She didn't need to be told; she was already staggering back inside, her back aching even more than usual. A problem with having demon wings was that since you were part demon, you acted a bit like a demon; and the demon in her wanted to rush back outside and stab the bull in the gut.

"I've never seen that demon in my dad's books." Ember whispered as she headed to her locker. "Who are they?"

"Xalmafer. He prevents plants from growing at a normal pace, to stem the flow of humans."

 _Stem the flow._

"Like… he tries to slow down the population?" "Exactly."

 _Stem the flow._

"So he's against humans." "Can you blame him?"

 _Stem the flow._

"Less of them, more of us."

 _Stem the flow._

"A Wrath demon?" Ember asked curiously as she entered her locker code; 19-8-7.

"Yes. The 2nd Head." Sakhlam said. "Why didn't other people see him? He was standing in plain sight." Sakhlam snickered as Ember began taking out her English books. "You didn't see him either. You only notice demons when you know what you're looking for; most humans don't even think we exist."

She began to shut her locker, but just before she did, she eyed her notebook. She had never seen Xalmafer in the demon books she had read, and every other demon she'd encountered had been recorded. She grabbed the book, slammed her locker closed, and headed to English.

She passed silently by the teacher, and walked to her desk, ignoring the curious faces which stared at her, even after so many months. She pulled back her seat, sat down, and opened her notebook. Then she began to draw.


	3. He Is But Flesh

**This story takes place in the universe of Stage 01.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own FNaF, which belongs to Scott Cawthon. I only own Ember, Vivian, Veronica and all of the Demons who appear in this story.**

 **Chapter 3**

 **He Is But Flesh**

 _When men began to multiply on earth and daughters were born to them, the_ _sons of God_ _saw how beautiful the daughters of man were, and so they took for their wives as many of them as they chose. Then the Lord said: "My spirit shall not remain in man forever, since he is but flesh. His days shall comprise one hundred and twenty years." At that time the Nephilim appeared on earth (as well as later), after the sons of God had intercourse with the daughters of man, who bore them sons. They were the heroes of old, the men of renown._

— _Genesis 6:1-4_

"Rodman." No response. Ember hunched over her notebook, running her pencil over the paper, shading the beast's shadow.

 _They all need to see him. One day they will._

"Rodman."

She moved her pencil back and forth over Xalmafer's scorpion tail, defining the gleaming stinger so that it stood apart from the rest of the sketch. "Rodman!"

"Huh?" She looked up, confused as her English teacher, Miss Kyra frowned at her. "What did I just ask you?" "Uh…"

She thought to herself. They were currently doing poetry in English, specifically war poetry. They had spent 3 days on the topic so far, which meant they were on their third poem. The time was 9:02, which meant class had been going on for 12 minutes since 8:50. That was time for approximately 9 minutes of Miss Kyra speaking, and 3 minutes of random boring questions from her classmates, who had to this point likely only asked about 5 questions. That meant that she was being asked a sixth question, and from what she knew about her teacher and her classmates…

"Shellshock." She said confidently, causing half the class's jaws to drop, including the teacher's.

"…what?" Miss Kyra asked, confused at Ember's comment. "Shellshock is the answer. You asked a question, I answered it." There was a twinkle in her eye as she said this, which every student noticed. "Just because I'm not looking or I don't answer straight away doesn't mean I'm not listening."

 _Yeah, bullshit._

"Huh." Miss Kyra muttered. "Alright then." As soon as she turned back towards the board, Ember glanced down at her sketch, and groaned as she realised she had completely left out Xalmafer's right horn. But when she thought about it, she couldn't tell whether he had one or not…

The rest of class dragged on, with nothing else important really happening, apart from a kid near the front having a nosebleed. When the bell rang, she rushed out the door, eager to get out of the classroom. Screw Double English, for all she cared.

"So Xalmafer is the 2nd Head of Wrath. Is he a weak demon?"

"Hardly." Sakhlam rang back. "The Head number doesn't necessarily measure a demon's power, except for the Greed-Avarice types." "Do you think I could take him on, though?" "Maybe, with some faith." She snickered at that. "But I don't know what to summon him with." This time it was Sakhlam laughing. "What is it with you demon hunters and summoning? The easiest way to confront a demon is to come at them while they're at work. You catch them in the act, and they can't deny it. Catches them off guard."

Right then, Vivian strolled up.

"Hey!" She grinned, smiling happily.

"Uh, hey." Ember returned the greeting, trying her best to mask the how annoyed she was about being interrupted. However, Vivian didn't even know about Sakhlam, so starting a rant about the importance of hunting demonic entities would be pointless. "How was class?" Vivian asked. Ember shrugged. "I don't know. It was class." The moving in her pocket confused her, as Sakhlam began shifting aimlessly. This either meant he was agitated, or plain bored. However, it wasn't safe to assume either option.

"Listen, I've got…" She nervously eyed her pocket, Sakhlam's jittering beginning to bug her. "…someone I need to meet." She started turning. "See you later."

"Nice trick." Sakhlam chuckled from her pocket. "Shut up." She hissed, and began walking towards the door. "We'll speak somewhere more secluded. I don't want people to think I'm talking to myself."

Suddenly, Veronica stepped out in front of her, a smirk on her face.

"Shit!" Ember muttered, her hand going to her back, before remembering she didn't have her crucifix spear.

"Well this should be good." Sakhlam's voice echoed again. Veronica laughed.

"What the fuck were you trying to do?" She guffawed.

 _I wish the demons would kill her first,_ Ember thought to herself. "Get out of the fucking way." She growled. There was that stupid laugh again. "Why should I?" Veronica laughed.

"Maybe I'll scream." Ember grinned. Instantly, Veronica stopped laughing. "For what?" She asked, but all the aggression was drained from her voice. Something had clicked when she'd said she would scream, and it was causing her to laugh on the inside. "I don't know. Help, I guess?" Veronica smirked a bit, but fear still edged her voice. "Then you'd look like an idiot."

"But there's one problem." Ember said, smiling. "If you were to push me over… then what would happen to you? You'd get punished for bullying the 'disabled' kid. And you know how those always turn out. I don't give a shit what people think of me. But as for you…" She walked around Veronica. "…The worse the better."

As soon as she was out the door, Sakhlam began to speak again.

"I didn't know you had that in you."

"Had what?" Ember asked, walking out onto the grass where they'd seen Xalmafer. "The ability to threaten people like that." Sakhlam admitted. "You didn't strike me as the type." Ember shrugged, despite him not being able to see her. "Did I really threaten her? I just pointed out a few simple facts." She said, pacing the grass. "Alright, let's get down to what's important. You know what I said earlier, about catching demons in the act?" He asked. Ember nodded. "Yeah."

"He was here just then. Demons will always work their way down, from the most effective place to start to the least effective. So my point is, you need to figure out which place would be most effective for him to strike next, considering that this was the most effective place."

 _The most effective place. The most effective place._

There were a total of 13 extremely grassy areas in Ember's town, including her school. However, it hadn't ever been very 'grassy', so to speak. It was definitely low on the list, possibly the second from the bottom.

 _What would be underneath my school?_

There was only one place that she could think of.

"There's… this pizzeria." She started saying. "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. It's abandoned now; closed 30 years ago. There were stories people used to tell, that a man killed 5 kids, and hid their bodies in the suits of the animatronic animals. Then it closed because of sanitation purposes."

"So what?" Sakhlam asked her. "Right next to it, there's a grassy area. Not too much, just a little less than my school." Ember explained. "And I'm pretty sure that'd be the next on the list." "Then let's go." He said, shifting around as he spoke. "Yeah, tonight we'll go." She said. "Why not now?" "In case you haven't realised, I've got two breaks and four periods to get through. So stop whining while I go get myself an alibi."

 **xXx**

Despite having closed 30 years ago, in all that time, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza had never been disturbed. It was the town's urban legend, the thing parents told their misbehaving children. If you weren't good, the killer from Freddy's would come stuff you into a suit. Ember had heard that story a few times herself. Her father had been the one to tell her. But he hadn't told her the way other parents might have. He told her so that she would understand.

Spirits, he had told her, were just as dangerous as demons. The remains of a soul after it left the body. Thankfully no demons had souls; however, human souls were still a massive problem. Sometimes, they could be even more dangerous than demons, because they were more intelligent, more unpredictable. Like the killer of Freddy's. They had found his corpse in a spring suit, an animatronic suit designed to be used as both a costume and an animatronic. However, tripping the springlocks which held back the parts would cause your body to be skewered a million times over. Just like the killer of Freddy's, who could come back any day as a vengeful spirit.

Ember snapped out of the memory as she walked by the forest, Sakhlam in his full form walking by her side. She wearing her shirt with the holes in the back for her wings, which were currently spread out behind her back. Slung across her back was the harpoon gun, and a couple of holy water bombs were attached to her belt. Then there were the salt syringes, attached to her side. Salt warded off ghosts; at least that was what her father had said. They hated it, or were maybe even damaged by it. She never really carried them much; but today was different. They were going to Freddy's, and the only thing that place had ever been famous for was ghosts.

"We're close." Sakhlam said, as the view revealed a grey building against the dark blue sky, which was now beginning to fade into black. Vines now grew over the walls, and plant life had since infested the inside. Cracks now ran down the sides, and over the restaurant's giant, now dead neon sign. And like Ember had said, grass now lay around the pizzeria like some kind of plague.

"Alright." She muttered, pulling the harpoon gun off her back. "Watch my back, tell me if you see Xalmafer."

"Gotcha." There wasn't much wind, despite the cold. The temperature was strangely, rapidly dropping despite it being the middle of summer. That could only mean one thing.

"He's coming." Ember whispered. "Get ready."

 _Shhhhhh…_

The trees in the forest began to bend, as the temperature continued to decrease. However, since there was hardly any wind, it had to be something else.

 _Crack!_

The ground began to tremble, sending clouds of dust up around the field. Then, a hearty chuckle began to sound from one of the clouds. The dust rose higher into the sky, as a disfigured skeletal foot emerged from the cloud.

"Look at you, here waiting for me! How nice of you to join the party!" A delirious voice echoed from the hollowed bull skull which was Xalmafer's head, the noise reverberating like a drum. "I only prepared for two of us, but four is plenty! The more the merrier!" He cackled, his full body emerging from the dust cloud. His bones clacked as he walked, and his scorption tail dragged along the ground, leaving a trail of unsettled dust behind him.

"What do you mean four?" Ember growled. "Oh, behind you of course! You didn't notice him?! HAHA!" She swiftly turned around, finding nothing as Xalmafer began to laugh again, his voice becoming more and more distorted, before eventually the laughter completely faded, being replaced with utter seriousness.

"Made you look." Sakhlam began to utter a warning, but it hardly escaped his mouth before Xalmafer's stinger impaled Ember's chest. She turned around, bleeding from the mouth, shock present in her eyes.

"W-Wha…wh…" Her eyes began to close.

"Argh!" The stinger was abruptly pulled out of her chest, as Sakhlam rammed Xalmafer into the wall of the pizzeria, creating a spider web of cracks along the material. Ember staggered, her blood now pouring like a river. "Uh…" Xalmafer pushed against Sakhlam, causing him to stumble backwards.

"HAHAHA!" The bull began to screech, his scorpion tail moving forward at tremendous speed. However, the sharp stinger bounced off harmlessly against Sakhlam's scales. Ember grabbed the harpoon gun off her back, and pulled herself up with it. The only advantage of being part demon, other than being other to fly, was that your wounds healed ridiculously fast, even if it hurt like hell in the process. Already the flesh which Xalmafer had pierced was regenerating, knitting the strands of flesh and blood back together.

As Sakhlam and Xalmafer continued to exchange punches, she raised the gun and aimed it at Xalmafer's head. Her hand clutched the trigger and squeezed.

 _Shhhhak!_

The spear flew towards the demon's skull, embedding itself into his right eye socket.

"Argh!" He began to wail, staggering backwards. Blood began to leak from his eyehole, and the bony skull began to crack. Slowly the beast began to lower its own body to the ground, eyes dimming and jaw falling slack.

"You alright?" Ember asked Sakhlam, chocking a bit on her blood.

"Yeah, you?" He asked in return. "You just got skewered by a giant stinger." She shrugged, leaning on the harpoon gun. "Demon wings, demon blood. Quick healing." She explained. "Right. Perhaps we should get out of here?" Sakhlam asked, his voice tinged with a hint of discomfort. "That's… probably a good idea." She muttered. "Come on." He said, allowing her to lean on him as they walked.

"We should probably go around the back." Ember managed to let out. "We don't want people to see us." Sakhlam snickered. "They would only see you." "Fair enough." Still, he turned back towards the forest, Ember leaning against him. Though movement was slow, they managed to reach the forest.

 _Snap!_

Ember raised a finger to her lips, Sakhlam nodding as they realised that someone else was there.

"My doggy died." A little girl's voice said from around the corner. Ember breathed a sigh of relief. "Daddy says he went to heaven."

"Maybe we can go around." She said to Sakhlam, but he shook his head.

"Someone else is here." He whispered quietly.

" **He's not really dead."** Another voice spoke. It sounded mechanical, like an animatronic, but yet the voice could still be mistaken as human. The only thing which hinted at what the voice really belonged to was the echoing after effect. Ember's face went white as she realised what was happening.

"Really?" The little girl said again. Ember peered around the corner, and nearly shrieked when she saw what was happening. A tall rabbit animatronic was standing by the pizzeria, towering over a blonde little girl. The fabric covering its endoskeleton was a dark green, and organs were showing through the rips in the fabric.

" **He is over here."** The rabbit spoke again, its voice suddenly smooth and playful. It gestured towards the abandoned building, eyes now glowing.

"Can you take me there?" The girl pleaded, causing the rabbit's mouth to stretch from ear to ear. It reached out its scarred hand, beckoning to the girl.

" **Follow me."**


	4. Kill and Eat

**This story takes is part of the 'The Banishers' universe, along with Stage 01 and Strangers But in Dreams. It should be noted that these stories are all being written at the same time.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own FNaF, which belongs to Scott Cawthon. I only own Ember, Vivian, Veronica and all of the Demons who appear in this story.**

 **Chapter 4**

 **Kill and Eat**

 _On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: and he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, and saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice_ spake _unto him again the second time, What God has cleansed,_ that _call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven._

— _Acts 10:9-16_

The little girl gingerly took the rabbit's hand, and smiled.

"Thank you Mr. Rabbit!" She said happily, the rabbit chuckling at her words.

" **My name is not Mr. Rabbit."** He said. **"Please, do call me by my name."**

Ember began to reach for one of her syringes, as the animatronic continued to converse with the girl.

"What's your name, Mr Rabbit?" She asked, causing him to laugh again. **"I've had many names, little one."** He told her. **"But the one I go by now…"** Ember grabbed the syringe, and prepared to jump out. **"…is Springtrap."** He grinned, not noticing Ember walking out of the shadows behind him.

"I like your name, Mr Springtrap!" The girl told Springtrap, smiling. "It sounds cool!" **"Cool… yeah."** He muttered, his head drooping a bit. "Hey, can I see my doggy?" She asked, and instantly his head perked up. **"But of course! I almost forgot. Right this w-"** Ember jumped on top of him, causing him to screech.

"Eat this!" She yelled, stabbing the syringe into his left eye.

" **Get off me!"** He yelled, though his voice began to fade as the salt took effect. **"Gaaah…"** Slowly, he sunk to the ground, his eyes dimming.

"What did you do to Mr Springtrap?" The girl demanded, though she sounded terrified. Ember turned around to face her. "Mr Springtrap…" She muttered, kneeling next to the rabbit suit. "…was a very bad man. Sad, sad truth, kiddo; your dog is dead, and he's staying that way." The girl shrank away, still staring at Springtrap's body lying on the floor. "The next time someone tells you the same crap, run the hell away. Scream, maybe. Just don't listen if they say 'Follow me', you got it?" The girl nodded, wide eyed. "Now go home to your parents." She told the girl as she squeaked, and ran away. She began to say something else, but she'd already ran around the bend. Ember sighed, looking back at Sakhlam.

 _Tell them that you love them._

"Well, what now?" Sakhlam asked.

"There's never been a recorded appearance of the killer of Freddy's." Ember muttered. "Something's happened." "He called himself… Springtrap?" Sakhlam said, confused. She nodded, holding the place where Xalmafer had wounded her. "He got killed in this thing called a spring suit. Basically, if you made a wrong move while wearing one, you got completely skewered. So I guess Springtrap was an appropriate name for him."

"So what was his name before that?" He asked. Ember frowned as she tried to remember.

"His name…" Something clicked in her brain.

"…was William Afton."

 **xXx**

"You are hurt." Springtrap waved off the voice, as he sat down, leaning on the plastered wall.

" **I will manage."** He growled, pulling the syringe out of his eyehole and throwing it aside, watching it clatter to the floor. **"The dose she injected me with was miniscule; it caused no damage."**

"Yet it still took you down." His companion growled, stepping into the light. He looked similar to Springtrap in colour and species, but there were several obvious differences between the two. His head, despite still being that of a rabbit, was shaped almost like a peanut. There was a vast area where the fur had been ripped off, exposing his skull and several metal wires. Additionally, his fingers on his right hand were clawed, while his entire left arm was missing entirely, replaced by a razor sharp metal spike.

" **Shut up, Scrap. If I had been expecting to be attacked, I would've been armoured."** Springtrap growled, standing back up. **"She was prepared, I was not. Next time will be different."**

"Next time?" Scrap frowned. "What makes you think that there will be a next time? The girl probably thinks you've been destroyed." **"That isn't the case. She was knowledgeable in the ways of spirits and demons. I won't be able to kill again with her around."**

"Perhaps I should go and end her, before she causes too much trouble?" Scrap asked, beginning to pace around the room. **"Don't underestimate her."** Springtrap growled. **"She has already killed Xalmafer."** Scrap froze, and turned to face Springtrap. "She killed Xalmafer? The 2nd Head of Wrath?" Springtrap nodded grimly. **"The very same. We won't be able to get rid of her the normal way."** "So what do you suggest?" Scrap inquired, and Springtrap grinned.

" **A trap."**

 **xXx**

Ember winced, wrapping the bandages around her wound, Sakhlam watching curiously as she did so.

"Why are you wrapping it?" He asked. "Doesn't it heal by itself?" Ember shook her head, biting her lip.

"I made a mistake. I assumed that the wound would heal on its own, but I forgot that Xalmafer was part scorpion. The wound is poisoned." She explained, jerking forward suddenly as a bolt of pain hit her stomach.

"Are you-" Before he could finish his sentence, Ember lurched forward, vomiting on the concrete floor of her basement.

"Uh…" She grabbed for the wall, before straightening up again. "I think I'm good." She said quietly. "Just a little lurch." She began to stand up, but Sakhlam nudged her back down.

"You should rest." He told her, but she shook her head. "I can't. Springtrap is probably finding another victim at this point. I need to go back." Sakhlam growled. "Not in this state, you won't." Ember glared at him, but submitted, leaning back against the wall.

"At least wait until tomorrow. You can't exactly leave the house with a giant hole in your chest." She shrugged, and sighed.

"Ok, that's a pretty good point. I wonder what the teachers will make of this."

 **xXx**

The next day as Ember staggered through the school gates, Veronica didn't lash out with her usual snarks. It amused her, the way people could be jerks one minute, and sympathetic the other. That was the very reason that Ember had come to school with her shirt torn, and the bloodied bandage wrapped around the wound. Even Vivian was silent as they headed towards the lockers, ignoring the looks people were giving them, and the constant whispering, obviously about Ember.

"You know, you still haven't told me how that happened." Vivian said, pointing towards the bandage.

"Just an accident. I didn't move fast enough." Ember said, trying to tell as much of the truth as possible without lying.

"It just doesn't add up."

"Jeez, Viv. Calm down. I'm still in one piece; it's no big deal." She tried to calm her friend down, and only received a glare in return.

"I just don't like it when you don't tell me the complete truth." Vivian muttered as she entered her locker code, and took out a book. "It just gets on my nerves a little-I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't pry; you deserve your own privacy."

"Don't mention it." Ember murmured. "Friends till the end, right?"

"Friends till the end." Vivian gave her friend a smile, and closed her locker. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you."

 **xXx**

"Don't you think you're rushing this just a little?" Sakhlam asked worriedly as Ember grabbed her harpoon from the wall. "You've only just healed from the fight with Xalmafer. You really want to risk going up against a murderous spirit?"

"I've handled worse." Ember shrugged, pulling the weapon onto her back, and counting her salt syringes. "I've got 5 chances to bring him down. If that's not enough, then I'm a lousy excuse of a demon hunter." Sakhlam sighed, realising that he wouldn't be able to convince her.

"Just make sure you come back alive, then. I'm sure your mother wouldn't want to find out you were dead, especially from the likes of me." Ember froze halfway up the stairs, and turned around.

"If you're trying to guilt trip me, it isn't working. I've made up my mind."

"Yeah, I can tell. I'm just trying to empathise the point." Ember flapped her wings lightly, and turned around, ascending the stairs. Sakhlam had noted a few of her mannerisms over the past week. The one he'd seen the most of was the way she flapped her wings whenever she was annoyed. He was pretty sure she didn't notice herself doing it, and he'd prefer it to stay that way. Then at least he'd be able to tell what she was feeling. Ember was the most unpredictable person Sakhlam had ever met. She never wanted to listen to anyone.

 **xXx**

Ember waited until it was dark, before she made her move. No one really came down this road, but she didn't want to risk exposing herself, and potentially getting herself killed, or worse, captured and tested.

Finally, once the sun went down and the moon shone brightly and the lights in the houses went out, one by one, Ember stepped out from among the trees, and headed towards Freddy's. As she walked up the cracked concrete steps, she looked behind her to make sure no one was there. She was still alone, or at least it seemed so.

She pulled open the door, cringing as it creaked, the rusted hinges preventing from swinging completely open.

"Well, you can't get everything." Ember muttered, before stepping into the darkness. "Just a creaky door." The pizzeria was almost completely barren. The black and white tiles were cracked from years of water damage, and the few remaining tables were either snapped in half, or lying on their sides. Up ahead was a massive banner reading ' _HAPPY BIRTHDAY!'_ small coloured dots resembling confetti drawn crudely onto the material. And then there was the stage. It was comprised of decayed wooden planks, and shaped like a rectangle, jutting into the wall. Along the back hung a few cardboard clouds, along with a round sun which looked like it belonged in a children's drawing. Three stage lights stood on front, though the glass had been broken long ago, and now there was no power to activate them.

Ember couldn't see a sign of life (or undead) in this place; it was completely devoid of people. Springtrap was nowhere to be seen. And yet, she still felt uneasy. Outside it began to rain, and she watched in fascination as water seeped through the cracks in the roof, dripping onto the floor and forming puddles.

Ember knelt down and looked at her reflection in the puddle. It rippled as another drop broke the surface. The image distorted, and she frowned as she saw something flicker in the background. A trick of the light, perhaps?

Another drop, another ripple. Another flicker. She could be seeing things. Maybe. But then the drop hit the puddle again, and this time a face appeared behind her, and she could see the sharp teeth going straight for her neck.

"Shit!" Ember rolled out of the way as the Demonite snapped its jaws where she'd been just a second ago. It turned its head towards her, baring its teeth. Dots of light glowed in its empty eye sockets, swinging around aimlessly as it lunged at her. Ember pulled the harpoon off her back, and shot it right into the Demonite's chest, slamming into its ribcage as the bones flew in every direction.

She whipped her head around and ran towards the exit, but she skidded to a halt when she saw the numerous Demonites, two of them closing the doors.

"Ember Rodman," One of them drawled, and flexed its claws. "We've heard so much about you."

"Good to know." She replied, and looked around. More and more Demonites were emerging from the shadows, jaws snapping and metallic tongues hanging. "What are you guys doing? I thought you were peaceful."

"There is no _peace_ when someone goes around killing the people we know." He growled. "It's genocide. Peace for one side, and war for another."

"So you came to kill me. With me dead, no one goes after demons, and you slowly poison the world and turn it into a terrible place as you Demonites find your domains, one by one. Sounds like a plan; except I kind of hate it, you know? I sort of want to live. Living is actually pretty nice."

"It's just our nature." Another one said, stepping forward. "Just as it is mankind's nature, to pollute and destroy."

"I see where you're going with this, I really do. But I just can't let you destroy the world. I don't know how many of you there are, but I do know one thing; there's a finite number of you. Do you think I'm stupid? Demons aren't born, they're created, and you lot were all birthed in the Chaos before the first day of Creation. It means that if I kill one of you…" Ember lashed out with the crucifix spear, and impaled a Demonite in the head, smiling as it screamed and fell limp to the ground. "…there's one less demon in the world _forever_."

The Demonites rushed in, pushing and shoving as they snapped their teeth and brandished their claws. Ember flew over them, watching in satisfaction as they crashed into each other. But more were coming from the hallways leading to other sections of the pizzeria, and she cursed.

"Fuck." She muttered as a Demonite lifted a table over its head, and hurled it at her. She swooped out of the way, slicing off heads and keeping them at bay with her crucifix spear. "Listen, I just want Springtrap. I don't want to kill you guys."

"We don't take orders from you, _or_ Springtrap! We just took the opportunity he presented!" One of them screeched before she silenced him by kicking his head off. Ember yelped as she was knocked out of the air by one of the stage lights, which had been ripped out of the floor. She hit the ground hard, and cried out in pain as the metal kept her down.

The Demonites descended onto her, and began to bite at her limbs. Ember screamed and one of them snapped its jaws around her right arm, and began to pull. Her eyes teared as something popped, and the Demonite howled with laughter, before she pushed the stage light off her chest and impaled him with her spear.

Ember stood up and threw a vial of holy water, which shattered and disintegrated several Demonites as it splashed around. She clutched her right arm as it hung only by a few clumps of flesh. At this rate, her arm wasn't going to be regenerating any time soon. She had to get out of here.

One of the Demonites grabbed her left leg, and she screamed as she fell forward when it pulled. She kicked at its head, and yelled as it closed its jaws around the appendage.

"Argh!" Ember stabbed it in the head, spreading her wings and flying forward with her spear in front, impaling Demonites as she flew. She crashed into the door, causing them to swing open as Demonites loped after her.

She spun around and gaped, wide eyed as she saw the Demonites following her outside. If anyone saw them, demons would be exposed to the world. And she couldn't let that happen.

"Get back!" Ember yelled, as she tossed vials of holy water at the flood of Demonites. "Get the fuck back!" The skeletal creatures screamed as the water disintegrated their bodies. She knocked aside a Demonite who'd managed to make it past her barrage, and slammed her heel into his skull, crushing it.

Looking up, she grinned as she saw the Demonites, looking spitefully at her from behind the small river of holy water that they couldn't cross.

"You got away this time, Rodman." The one at the front hissed at her, before retreating back into the pizzeria with the other. He closed the doors behind him, giving Ember one last glare before they shut.

"Well, shit." Ember muttered, wincing as she looked at her arm. "That's definitely not going to heal."

 **xXx**

"I told you not to go." Sakhlam growled. "I do recall asking you whether you thought you were rushing a little. Then you come back, covered in bite marks with your right arm beyond repair."

"There were Demonites." Ember argued as Sakhlam ranted. "Hundreds of them. There was no way for me to know they would be there. Plus, they were being unusually aggressive."

"Why did they attack you?" He asked as Ember struggled to open the basement door with her left hand.

"Fucking-oh, finally. Uh, they said that I was carrying out acts of genocide or something." She explained as the door opened, and they walked down the stairs.

"Well, they are right." Sakhlam said as Ember scowled, and looked at her arm, which was swinging back and forth dangerously. "You know, we're probably going to have to cut that off."

"Yeah, I know." She said, sighing. "Not sure what I'd do. I'm not willing to tell anyone about demons and stuff, so how do I explain that kind of injury?"

"You could just make your own prosthetic."

"Oh, because that's so easy to do, with only one hand."

"You could ask your friend Vivian."

"Then I'd have to explain everything to her."

"Maybe that's a good idea."

"Oh, fuck off!" Ember said angrily as she kicked aside a candle which she'd placed on the floor. "You think I'm even going to _consider_ dragging her into this? This isn't her world! The world she knows, the world everyone else knows, is the one where the worst monsters are humans, and things like bad luck are just there, not variables affected by demons. It's not a good world, but it's better than the one I grew up in. You really think I'm going to take it away from her?"

Sakhlam paused, thinking to himself as Ember attempted to wrap a roll of gauze around her arm to stop it from swinging around, at least temporarily.

"Here's what I'm going to do. I'm gonna wrap up by arm, then I'm gonna light up the candles, turn out the lights, place some offerings; and I'm gonna call in some friends."

Sakhlam tilted his head.

"Friends? Other ally demons?" Ember nodded, and grinned. "Four of them. I realised something today; if I want to rid this town of Springtrap, I can't do it alone. We're gonna need help; heaps of it. And we're gonna get it."

"And then what?"

"And then…we dismember that rabbit limb from limb, we burn his body, and scatter the ashes to the corners of the earth. And then, we can rest easy."

 **xXx**

Vivian scowled at the pile of homework on her desk, and buried her face in her hands.

"Oh god." She muttered, pulling out her phone and calling Ember.

"Hey." Her friend said, and Vivian grinned.

"Hey. How are you managing your pile of hell?" Ember chuckled.

"I…I'm not doing it."

"Why not? It's due on Friday."

"I had another accident. I won't be coming to school for a week or two."

Vivian froze.

"What do you mean?" She asked, feeling worried. "What happened?"

"It's nothing, really." Ember said from the other side. Something fell down in the background. "No, you idiot, the blood goes _there_! Malech won't be able to grab it if it's too far away! Sorry Viv. Just ignore me, I'm a little busy."

"A little busy after having an accident? I don't believe it," Vivian said disbelievingly. "What's really going on, Ember?"

"Uh…" Suddenly someone yelled in the background, and Ember yelped. "What do you mean it's insufficient? I've done this one before, it's half a gallon! Uh, excuse me for a moment, Viv."

"Hey, Ember, wait a minute!" Vivian cried out in protest, and sighed as she heard Ember slamming down her phone on the other end.

"What do you mean? I's completely; oh, you idiot, that line is 0.55, not 0.50. I can't believe you. If you're really that pissed about it, then stick in a bit of chalk! It'll make the levels rise!"

The phone was picked back up, and Ember's voice came back through.

"Sorry about that."

"No problem. But seriously, tell me what's happening."

Ember sighed, and muttered something quietly.

"My arm got pulled off. I'm getting a prosthetic."

"Your arm got WHAT?!"

"Calm down-"

"How the fuck do you expect me to calm down?! You're just telling me completely calmly that you lost a fucking limb?!"

"I know it sounds bad, but-"

"Okay, tell me who did it. Tell me who tore off your arm. I'll fucking kill them."

"Viv-"

"Come on. Tell me." Ember took a deep breath, and sighed.

"Viv, he's already dead." Vivian froze, shocked at Ember's words.

"What do you mean, he's already dead?"

"I mean what I said, Viv. I killed him. Impaled him."

"W-What? Ember, you could get arrested!"

"Relax, the cops will be on my side for this one." Ember reassured her.

"Which arm was it?"

"My right."

"Well, that must suck."

"I'm ambidextrous."

"Oh." She muttered, feeling stupid for not knowing that.

"Crap, I've gotta go now. I'm about to have my arm fitted."

"I'll leave you to it then." Vivian muttered.

"Mind telling my teachers? I'm not in the mood to ring them up."

"Yeah, sure."

"You're the best! Alright, bye!"

"Bye."

Vivian sighed, and leaned back in her chair.

"Viv, you alright back there?" She heard her mother call from the room across the hall.

"Yeah mum, just peachy." She replied, and stared into space. Vivian was pretty sure Ember was hiding something. What had she been going on about, talking about blood and half gallons? And who the hell was Malech? Either way, it didn't matter now. She still had that stupid pile of homework. School was a monster.

 **xXx**

"Nothing's happening." Sakhlam said impatiently as the flames flickered around the pentagram.

"Remember," Ember said patiently, "we aren't summoning them. We're calling them. There isn't going to be some crazy smoke display. They'll just appear. Like I said, I've done this before."

"And you've handled the situation with your friend?" He asked, and Ember shrugged.

"More or less. She may or may not believe me."

"Are you actually planning on fitting a prosthetic soon?"

"Hopefully. I mean, I'm not taking it to the human doctors. I'll find a willing demon."

"And how do you intend to do that?"

"I know a few. They're the ones I'm calling." She explained.

"Right." Sakhlam muttered quietly. "So why aren't they here yet?"

"Because we are, dipshit." The two whirled around, and Ember grinned as she saw her friends. First was Malech, the first demon she'd ever come to terms with. He was a massive spider crab, his orange armour shining in the dim candlelight. His claws were the size of doors, and a long plated tail hung from his back.

Next was Sighard, the sloth dog. If it wasn't for his face, the demon might have looked pretty innocent. Sighard's head was of a Doberman's, albeit extremely scarred and disfigured. His limbs were covered in soft brown fur, hooked claws showing from underneath.

After Sighard came Kronyc, a large four-winged bat with a red streak running down his spine. His eyes were cold and black, his pupils always dilated. He was, after all, nocturnal, a gift which was surprisingly rare among demons.

And finally Galhater buzzed into the room, landing on his six legs. Out of all the demons Ember had ever met, he was the only one who she could have mistaken for an actual animal. He was a huge dragonfly, though a long and thin red tongue was always slithering out of his mouth, like a snake under a spell. His wings constantly fluttered back and forth, throwing gusts of wind all over the place.

"Well, look at this." Ember smirked. "The gang's all here."

"Well, excuse me," Kronyc rasped as he hung from the ceiling, "but I don't recall this guy ever being part of _the gang_." He nodded towards Sakhlam, who growled.

"Oh, right. Guys, this is Sakhlam. He's a head of Envy."

"Really, and Envy demon?" Malech asked, his curiosity suddenly piqued. "I've never met one."

"Seriously?" Sakhlam said, though if he was surprised by this, he didn't show it.

"Yeah. I'm a Wrath. Sighard's a Pride, and Kronyc and Galhater are Sloths."

"Of Beelzebub and Belphegor." Galhater added, and Sighard coughed loudly.

"Yeah, whatever. Why did you call us here?" Ember looked at each of them in turn, and sighed.

"Alright, this is going to sound crazy. But there's an active murderous spirit in town, and I need your help to kill him." Galhater blinked.

"Why can't you do it yourself?" He asked, and Sakhlam cleared his throat.

"He's managed to rally the Demonites against her." He explained, and Ember nodded.

"Yeah. One of them bit my arm off." She showed them the short stump her arm had been reduced to, which she'd been hiding behind her back for the whole conversation. She'd managed to cut off the dead flesh earlier, which was now lying on a nearby table.

"Sheesh." Sighard winced. "That looks pretty bad."

"Yeah. I'm going to need a prosthetic." Ember said.

"I could fix you up with one." Malech offered, and Ember smiled.

"That's be great. Thanks." She said, Malech frowning as Sakhlam muttered something under his breath.

"Alright, as much as I like talking about missing appendages, how do we kill him? And what's his name?" Kronyc asked impatiently, and Ember frowned.

"His name's Springtrap. As for how to kill him…Well, that's kind of why I called you guys in." There was a moment of silence, before someone muttered 'Ah'.

"You tried salt yet?" Galhater asked, and Ember nodded.

"Yeah, I stabbed him with a syringe filled with it before he could lure a little girl into a building. He was weakened pretty badly, and he was pretty much helpless before he disappeared when I looked away. I got the jump on him that time, though. I suspect that the next time may be a little trickier to deal with."

"So basically, you're asking us to join you on a suicide mission to save _one_ town." Malech summed up, and Ember shrugged.

"Something like that. Listen, I completely understand if you don't want to-"

"I'm in." Sighard interrupted, and everyone turned to look at him. "I've got nothing better to do."

"Me too." Kronyc said. Galhater and Malech muttered their own words of agreement, and Ember grinned and attempted to clap her hands, before remembering that she only had one.

"Ah, shit. Well, that's sorted then! We're all in this together, huh?" She turned around and gave Sakhlam a wink.

"Now let's go kick some supernatural rabbit ass."


	5. These Be Thy Gods, O Israel

**This story takes is part of the 'The Banishers' universe, along with Stage 01 and Strangers But in Dreams. It should be noted that these stories are all being written at the same time.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own FNaF, which belongs to Scott Cawthon. I only own Ember, Vivian, Veronica, Anna and all of the Demons who appear in this story.**

 **Chapter 5**

 **These Be Thy Gods, O Israel**

 _And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt._

— _Exodus 32: 1-4_

Malech had arrived with the arm the next day. Ember had to admit, she was impressed by his craftsmanship; when she'd asked for a prosthetic, she'd never dreamed of a fully functional mechanical arm. It felt exactly the same as her old arm when she moved it, the only difference being the slightly numb area at the point where it connected with her flesh.

"Well? What do you think?" Malech asked as Ember tested each of the fingers one by one, making them move up and down as the machinery whirred almost silently.

"It's amazing." She said, astounded by the level of expertise put into the arm. "How did you do this?" It wasn't a question about his intelligence, Malech knew that; it was about his lack of hands.

"I imagine it's just like having hands, with only two fingers." He explained, motioning to his claws. "Well, anything else?" He asked, and Ember bit her lip.

"Shit, I feel bad for asking you for so much." She muttered, and he waved a claw.

"Nonsense. So what do you need?"

"I need an etching in the arm." Ember explained, and he snapped his left claw.

"Easy. How many, what kind?" Malech questioned, and she looked at the arm thoughtfully.

"Three. Two on opposite sides of the wrist, one on the palm."

"Easy. If you tell me what you want, I'll have them done in 10 minutes."

"Cool. Then let's get started."

 **xXx**

"The trap failed." Scrap said drily as Springtrap paced back and forth, his joints clicking. "Are you sure you don't want me to go and kill her for you?"

" **I've already told you that Ember Rodman is not a person you should underestimate."** Springtrap said gruffly. **"You said it yourself, she managed to escape the trap, even if she lost a limb in the process. We don't know how powerful she is."**

"But you know how powerful I am. Do you not have faith in my abilities?" Scrap protested. He picked up a battered rabbit plush toy with his right hand, and tossed it into a corner. "We've been here for years, Springtrap. How many more will we spend waiting for the threats of the world to die out?"

" **We'll be out of here soon."** Springtrap assured his companion. **"And I'll kill the girl myself, don't worry. After that? We're all in the clear."**

"We better be." Scrap muttered, and sat down. "If it turns out that all this preparation was for nothing…"

" **They others will do their part. We kill Rodman, and we've done ours."** Springtrap flicked a fly off his suit, and turned to face Scrap. **"Contact our allies. We can breach the wall tomorrow."**

"Sure. I'll do that." Scrap said as he turned and prepared to leave.

" **Oh, and Scrap? I mean what I said. You are** _ **not**_ **to go after Ember Rodman."** There was a period of silence, before he replied.

"Of course. I'll see you at 12." His footsteps slowly faded away, as Springtrap sat down, tapping his leg and listening to the ringing of metal. Tomorrow, they would breach the wall. And then there would be no holding back.

 **xXx**

It was an odd sensation, feeling Malech engrave the symbols into the arm. There wasn't any pain; it was more of a tingling feeling, as he chiselled a shape into her wrist.

"Just one more." He said, and Ember shrugged.

"Ok." She opened up her palm, and watched as he positioned the chisel just above the middle, and hammered down. She flinched a little when it hit the metal, but managed to stay still for the rest of the procedure.

"That's it." Malech said suddenly, throwing the chisel aside.

"Wow." Ember muttered as she looked at the symbols etched into the metal, turning the arm around slowly. "These are amazing."

"Thanks. Tell me this though, why'd you want them?" He asked. Ember shrugged.

"I…I have a few modifications to add to it on my own." She explained, and something twinkled in Malech's eye; respect, or maybe understanding.

"I see. Well, good luck." With that, he crawled up the steps of her basement, leaving Ember alone.

Sighing, she got up from the chair she was sitting in and headed towards the corner of the room. There was a white basin, completely empty. It stood on a short curved pillar, decorated with symbols.

Ember pulled a small dagger from her belt, and pricked her finger. A single drop of blood slid out, and dropped into the basin. She smiled to herself as she looked at the symbol on her palm, watching as the symbols on her palm and wrist began to glow softly, along with the ones etched into the pillar.

"It works." She chuckled, and sheathed the dagger as another drop hit the basin. "It really works."

 **xXx**

"Holy shit." That was all Vivian said when Ember came to school two weeks later. "That looks awesome."

"Thanks. Got it custom made." Ember said jokingly as they approached the school gates.

"Seriously? That's really cool. How'd you afford it?" Vivian asked.

"Had a friend do it for me." Ember replied, and Vivian gave her a look of surprise.

"Who? Didn't know you had friends out of school."

"Doesn't matter, Viv. He owed me a favour, so he made me the arm."

"Right." Vivian muttered as they walked through the gates. "Bitch alert at 2 o' clock."

"Gotcha." Ember chuckled as Veronica came around the corner. "Let's see what she says."

"Hey, Hot Rod!" They both rolled their eyes at the nickname Veronica spat hatefully.

"Hi there, Veronica. You just here to say hi, or do you have something else you need to talk about?" Ember asked cheerily.

"Oh, fuck you. Miss K-What's up with the arm?" She asked suddenly, and Ember grinned.

"Oh, you like it?" She asked, tapping the wrist. "Yeah, didn't want to get issued a hunk of plastic, so I had it custom made. Pretty neat, huh?" Veronica just scowled as she looked at the arm, something that looked like envy in her eyes. "Don't get too envious, Veronica. Seven Deadly Sins."

"What?" She jerked back and frowned. "Don't give me that Christian bullshit, Rodman."

"Okay, that genuinely offended me." Ember muttered, tapping the symbol on her palm then pressing it to Veronica's forehead.

"Ah! It burns!" She screamed, bolting as Vivian stared, gaping.

"How did you do that?" She asked, and Ember smirked.

"She's just an idiot. Don't worry."

"Okay. But uh…" Vivian tapped one of the runes on Ember's wrist: ᛃ. "What is that?"

"Oh, it's a rune." Ember explained.

"What does it mean?" She asked, and her friend shrugged.

"It's _Jera_. It means _Harvest_. If you want to be all fancy though, you could say it means _Abundance_."

"And what about that?" Vivian pointed at the other rune on her wrist: ᚺ.

" _Hagalaz_. It means _Hail_."

"Why do you have Hail carved into your arm? Like, people should hail you or something?"

"No, Hail as in the hail that falls from the sky."

"That's, like, even worse." Vivian muttered.

"Viv, have you ever read the Book of Exodus?" Ember asked, and she shook her head. "Ah. Well, then don't call it Hail. Might as well say it means _Destruction_."

"Then why do you have them carved onto your arm?" Vivian asked.

"Abundance on one side, Destruction on the other. Jera and Hagalaz. It's balance. Like, uh, Libra. You know, the zodiac sign."

"Is that the one on your palm?" She inquired, and Ember froze, clenching her hand into a fist, and pulled it towards her chest.

"No."

"Can I see-Hey, what's wrong." Ember had begun to sweat, and she waved Vivian off.

"It's nothing. Just a...it's not an important one."

"And that's why you have that one on your palm, but a rune that means destruction on the outside? Come on, Ember. Just show me." Her friend hesitated, but she halted, and slowly opened the metal fist so that Vivian could see the symbol; it looked like an infinity sign, with a two-barred cross on top. "What is that?" She asked, and Ember sighed.

"It's a Leviathan Cross." She answered quietly as they entered the school building.

"And what does it mean?"

"It means Brimstone." Ember said, tucking her right hand into her pocket as she opened her locker with her left. "Sulphur, if you didn't know."

"And why do you have _that_ carved into your hand?" Vivian said, opening her own. "It's even weirder than hail."

"It's satanic." Ember mumbled quietly.

"Wait, what?" Vivian stared at her in shock. "Since when were you in a cult?"

"I'm not, I promise you. It's just...yeah, okay, so I lied when I said I didn't do anything to Veronica." She admitted, and Vivian swallowed. Somewhere a teacher was telling a kid to clean up their mess.

"What…what did you do?" She asked, as Ember retrieved her books and closed her locker.

"I burned her. I pressed the symbol to her forehead. And it just burned, Viv. Like the Morning Star."

"You're starting to creep me out." Vivian admitted. "So it's like, for self-defence?" She asked, and Ember winced a little as she remembered Bavalach, Xalmafer, and the names of all the demons who she'd killed.

"Something like that."

"Okay. As long as you don't start worshipping Satan."

"You're not even religious, Viv. Why would that worry you?" Ember asked.

"Because you always talk about God. And if you changed, then I'd know something was really wrong. And for the past month, I've noticed how different you've been acting." Vivian said, and Ember sighed.

"Okay, fair point. Can I talk to you about this _after_ school?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Just don't go crazy."

"Could say the same with you." Vivian chuckled, and walked away.

"Well, shit." Ember muttered to herself. "This could get bad."

 **xXx**

Ember hated the bus. The stupid thing would roll around the corner every afternoon, with its canary yellow paint and miniature square headlights. But it was the easiest way to get home, after walking to school. And she needed easy right now.

"You said you'd talk." Vivian said as they sat next to each other at the back, bumping along with the rest of the students. "So let's talk."

"Fine." Ember muttered. "I'll talk. Where do you want to start?"

"What's wrong?" Vivian asked. "I told you earlier; for the past month, you've been acting weird. I…I just want to know you're alright."

It took Ember a lot of willpower to convince herself not to scream. How many times had she heard people say that? Too many. Far too many. But now most of them were dead. Buried in sin, grief, and tragedy.

"Do you really want to know what happened to me?" Ember asked, her tone completely serious. "Because if you really want to know, then you're going to have to leave this all behind. You're going to have to forget everything that you _thought_ about the world. Abandon any experience. And look at it all, with new eyes." Vivian hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded.

"Okay. I think I can deal with that." She said, and Ember sighed.

"Alright. Now, remember at the start of the month, when the water was terrible, and it burned your throat?"

"Yeah. They said it was a spill or something, though." Vivian said, and Ember laughed.

"A spill? They actually said that? Well, let me tell you something, Viv. That's complete utter bullshit. That didn't happen because of a fucking spill. That water would have contaminated the entire world, if I hadn't done something about it."

"What did you do?" Vivian asked. She was genuinely concerned; her eyebrows were slanting down, the way they did when she was extremely fixated on something.

"I killed someone, Viv." Ember said quietly. "I tore his head off with my bare hands." Vivian was silent, as the rest of the kids up the front of the bus made jokes about sex, and drugs, and what they were going to do on the weekend.

"Why?" Her voice was trembling; she was definitely shaking, that was for sure. "Why did you kill him?" She asked, and Ember swallowed a mouthful of saliva that had formed in the silence.

"Because if I hadn't, then he would've kept polluting the water. And I couldn't let that happen, I-I…I needed to stop him." She clenched her right hand into a fist, and Vivian watched as the fingers curled over the Leviathan Cross on her palm. "I've killed so many times. The one I killed at the start of the month? His name was Bavalach. I hated him. But I shouldn't have killed him. You know how I lost my arm, Viv? I walked into a trap, set for me, and I was beat and punched and kicked and bitten. I killed so many that day. 27 of them. I counted every last one. 27 lives were lost because of me."

"You still haven't explained." Vivian said. "I don't understand."

"That's understandable. Let me just say it out loud; demons are real, Viv. They really are. I've seen thousands of them, killed hundreds. Did you know that every demon is connected to _one_ bad aspect of the world, unless they convert? I've prevented 5 food shortages. I eliminated a disease that killed 10000 people a year that people didn't even know _existed_. I prevented 3 extinctions. Contained 52 different outbreaks. Decreased the likelihood of burns by 0.5%. But all of that was achieved by killing demons."

Ember turned to look at Vivian, and sighed when she saw her face.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" She asked, and her friend shook her head. The bus hit a bump in the road, and they both jolted.

"No. I've know you too well. You never lie. You always just don't tell the complete truth. But that means that what you're saying is true, and that demons…" She froze, and looked at Ember. "Oh, god. Your dad; I get it now."

Before she could reply, the bus suddenly smashed into something on the road, and everyone was suddenly thrown forward.

"What the hell?"

"What's going on?"

"Ah!"

Confused cries echoes throughout the bus as kids screamed and complained and worried over why the bus had stopped. Suddenly the door opened, and a rotted green hand grasped the handrail. Ember's blood went cold.

"No." She muttered breathlessly, and Vivian tugged at her arm.

"What's going on?"

"Stay down." Ember whispered, as kids began to scream. Standing before them was Springtrap, his eyes glowing a bright silver. A metal helmet protected his face, the only things not being protected by metal being his eyes and mouth. His body was covered with plates of armour, and a large device was strapped to his back, wires connecting to every limb in his body.

" **Hey there, kids."** Springtrap laughed, and everyone in the bus shuddered. **"Sorry if I'm interrupting you all."** He took a few steps forward, and as he did so, kids shrank away from him, their backs to the walls. Fear radiated around him like an aura. Everyone was affected by him, everyone was intimidated; except for Ember.

"Back for more already, _William_?" She said to him, standing up in her seat. Springtrap turned to face her, and snarled menacingly.

" **Ember Rodman. I should have come and killed you, long ago."** The rabbit growled at her. **"You caught me off guard the last time. I won't let that happen again."**

"Which I suppose is why you're so surprised to see me, right?" She asked coldly.

" **Don't be cocky. You did your homework, Rodman, but so have I. And I know that you would** _ **never**_ **risk exposing this world to the mortals."** Springtrap scowled at her, and Ember found herself laughing.

"What makes you think that? I've killed in broad daylight, run out of exploding buildings, burned down an entire field. What makes you think I won't go another step further?"

" **Because you're already excluded enough."** He told her, advancing a few steps. **"You won't do it."**

"Yeah, well guess what?" Ember pulled off her jacket and threw it aside, allowing her wings to expand. People stared in shock and disbelief as she flapped them once, and grinned at Springtrap. "Maybe I just don't care anymore."

Springtrap narrowed his eyes, as she flexed out her mechanical arm, the joints clicking and servos whirring.

"I've lived in the shadows for long enough. I've let myself be bullied for far too long. But I've had enough now. And I don't care what it takes; I _will_ destroy. It's just you and me, Springtrap. Leave the other kids out of this. I'm the one you want to kill."

He laughed, and jauntily raised his head.

" **Very well then. I'll let your precious humans go, Rodman."** Ember rushed towards him at full speed, no longer by the pain that came with concealing her wings. She pulled the dagger from her belt, and slashed at Springtrap's unprotected flanks as she slid between his legs. The rabbit screamed in rage as he whirled around, and swung a fist into her chest, sending her stumbling back.

Ember cursed, and flew over his head, wrapping her legs around his neck and pulled him to the ground. Springtrap grappled with her for a moment or two, before his superior strength won over, and he smashed her into the ground. Ember used her wings to shield herself, but it was futile. Springtrap rained down blows upon blows, each one harder than the last, each one making her wings ache more, and more.

She groaned and rolled to the side, embedding the dagger into his torso before grabbing onto his neck and pulling herself up, putting him off balance.

"If I had my spear," she breathed into his ear, "you'd be dead by now."

" **Not so, little one."** Springtrap chuckled before he grabbed her around the waist, and threw her against the back of the bus, causing the vehicle to rock.

"Well, shoot." Ember muttered. "Plan B." She tapped all three symbols on her arm, and watched as they each began to glow. She smiled as she ran up to Springtrap and punched him hard in the face. Purple energy rippled as the powers of Jera and Hagalaz, working in unison, managing to send the rabbit flying. Red sparks flew as the Leviathan Cross added its own additional explosion, and Springtrap was forced onto his back.

However, to her dismay, he began to pull himself back up, gnashing his teeth angrily.

" **You just don't know when to give up."** He staggered forward, righting himself on a seat. **"You have determination, Rodman, I'll give you that. It's a pity we fight on different sides."** Springtrap swung his fist, the metal knuckles connecting with her chin. Ember gasped as she shot upwards, hitting her head on the ceiling and instantly falling back down.

The rabbit laughed as she lay there, sprawled helplessly on the floor. Ember winced as she tried to move. She was fairly certain that one of her ribs was broken. Suddenly Springtrap was next to her, and the next thing she knew she was being lifted high off the ground, to meet his eye.

" **Sweet dreams."** He said grimly, just before her body was thrown back to the ground. Ember screamed as Springtrap placed his heavy metal foot onto her chest and pressed it down. Her broken rib was beginning to spear into her flesh, and the pain was making her eyes tear.

"…F-F…"

" **What was that?"** The rabbit laughed gleefully as she attempted to speak.

"F-Fire…" Ember tapped the Leviathan Cross, and held her palm out towards his chest. "…Fire and B-Brimstone, motherfucker." A beam of crimson energy flew out of the symbol, striking Springtrap in the chest. The rabbit screeched in pain as he stumbled back, his armour smouldering.

" **Argh!"** He yelled before swinging his fist, laughing as it connected with her face. As Ember faded into unconsciousness, Springtrap made a 'tsk'ing noise. **"About me leaving your precious humans alone, Rodman…I may have lied."** Her eyes widened as Springtrap laughed, and kids shrieked. She closed her eyes, just as the rabbit stepped over her body, and grabbed someone.

 **xXx**

Darkness overtook Ember's mind before she knew it. Her head was ringing, and her muscles were sore. She couldn't hear much, but certain sounds were easy to recognise; people screaming, heavy footsteps, Springtrap's delirious laughter.

"You know, he was right. You really aren't to be underestimated." Ember slowly opened her eyes, groaning as a bright light was flashed in her face. "So you're awake, huh?" Whoever was talking to her let out a chuckle, and tapped her on the head.

As her eyes adjusted, she realised that she was looking into a pair of glowing silver eyes. Scrap was sitting in front of her, clicking his teeth as he sharpened his spear arm with a stone. It was making an irritating scraping noise, which Ember suddenly realised had been going on for the whole time she'd been unconscious.

"It's a vicious cycle, you know?" He said as in the background, she heard another girl scream. Ember attempted to move, frowning as she realised her arms were restrained by something. She turned around, and realised that she was chained to a pole. "But then, most things in life are."

"Who are you?" She asked, and Scrap sighed. Ember suddenly realised that they were in the centre of a large pentagram, drawn in what appeared to be blood.

"The name's Scrap, but don't worry about that. I'm just an idiot who's trying to make a difference." He told her, then went back to sharpening his spear. A spark flew off, and landed harmlessly on the floor.

"What did you do? To the other people on the bus?" Ember asked anxiously, and Scrap shrugged.

"We only took, what, four girls, including you? The rest we let get away with a wiped memory." He said, and laughed at her expression. "You seem pretty surprised that we took so many."

"More like I'm surprised you took so few." She admitted, and Scrap made a raspy chuckle, and leaned forward a little.

"That's what happens when the ritual literally says 'Sacrifice one _beautiful_ girl'. There weren't many on that bus." He said.

"So you think I'm beautiful? Why, I'm flattered. I mean, who wouldn't want to be sacrificed to a demon?" Ember said sarcastically. "Why do the girls have to be beautiful, anyway?"

"Lust demons." Scrap explained. "They're very picky."

"Yeah, I can imagine. Only ever met one, but Bavalach was grabbing for my lower half before he even noticed I was holding a spear." Ember said, and Scrap chuckled.

"I'll admit, you put up a pretty good fight. I was a little worried he was going to lose. But then again, I've never seen that happen, unless you count your little salt syringe."

"Nothing beats the element of surprise, if you can manage to use it right."

"Agreed. It's funny. You don't seem to hate me at all." Scrap observed, and Ember laughed.

"I don't see a point. You'll be dead soon anyway." Now it was his turn to laugh, and he shook his head.

"Do you really believe that? You're chained up; you're not getting out of that." He said, and Ember tilted her head, looking at him innocently.

"Oh, is that so? That's a pity. I even stalled you for 3 minutes just so I could melt my chains." She said, and it was then that Scrap noticed the molten puddle around her legs, dripping down from the pole.

"What the-" Before he could react, Ember had ripped her hands from behind her back, and placed the Leviathan Cross against his forehead. Scrap screeched in agony as his skull caught fire. He began to claw at his face before Ember swept him off his feet and slammed her foot into his face. She smiled as she heard a satisfying crack ring through the air, before running out of the small room and looking for the other girls.

She turned left, as someone began to scream. She could faintly hear Springtrap's voice in the distance.

" **What was that? Sorry, I couldn't hear you."** Ember drew her dagger, and chuckled. She couldn't believe that Scrap had forgotten to disarm her. She wouldn't go so far as to say he was extremely incompetent; she'd just gotten the jump on him. But not disarming her, even though she was tied up? It seemed a little stupid.

She came to a door, and looked inside to see a blonde girl chained to a pole the way Ember had been, though she was sitting on the floor with her legs spread out. The girl looked up at her and gasped, as Ember put a finger to her mouth.

"Sh." She placed the Leviathan Cross against her chains, and watched as they began to heat, and melt to the ground.

"Rodman? Is that you?" The girl asked, and Ember rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm a fairy princess from an alternate dimension. Of course it's me."

"You fought him on the bus. You…you have wings." She sputtered, and Ember sighed.

"Okay, I get it, this is a massive shock. Just calm down for me. I need to melt these chains of yours." A massive drop of the molten metal dripped down, and she ripped away the chains as the girl stood. "Come on; there's two more people in the building." The girl gave her a shaky nod as Ember helped her up, and they continued down the darkened hallway. She made a disgusted 'uh' noise as she stepped into a puddle, and Ember quickly whirled around and put a finger to her lips. They were silent for a few moments, the only noises being the sound of dripping water. Then she motioned with her head, and then they were walking again.

The next girl was someone Ember knew pretty well, albeit without any sort of gladness that she did so. It was one of Veronica's cronies, a girl named Anna, who as far as Ember was concerned, probably didn't deserve to be saved; but she couldn't allow Springtrap to summon anymore demons. And she couldn't bear the thought of leaving _anyone_ behind, no matter what they might have done.

"Oh, fucking hell." Ember muttered quietly as she held the Leviathan Cross to the chains and watched as they began to melt. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this."

"Rodman, I-"

"Shush, you." She said, and pulled away the chains. "I'm tempted to wipe your memory right now." As she expected, Anna fell completely silent. She really didn't want to have her memory wiped, apparently.

"If we do this fast, we might be able to escape without anyone noticing." Ember told them. "Just be quiet."

 _One more girl. One more girl and we're out of here._

The problem was, that she was fairly certain Springtrap was with the last one, whoever they were.

 _Beautiful girls. Beautiful girls._

That was what Scrap had said. Who else would be considered 'beautiful'? He's also pointed out that there was only _one_ other person, which meant it was probably-

"Viv." Ember muttered and clutched at her head. "Fuck. Shit, shit…" Not thinking clearly, she stormed out of the hallway, and entered into the Dining Area. There in the centre, surrounded by Demonites, was a metal pole, with a ponytailed brunette standing upright as Springtrap leered over her, his armour still damaged from his fight with Ember, and an enormous battle axe in his hands.

" **Rodman takes a particular liking to you."** Springtrap said, and stroked her hair as she whimpered. **"I don't know why-maybe you could tell me?"**

"G-Go to Hell." Vivian said shakily, and he threw back his head and let out a hollow laugh.

" **She didn't teach you much about Demonology, did she? I** _ **intend**_ **to go to Hell, very soon."** Springtrap chuckled. He grabbed at her head and turned it so she was facing him. Ember could see that she was crying, and clenched her fist.

"Ember told me enough." Vivian said as she struggled against her restraints. "Enough to know that if I die by your hand, all I'm going to do is cause something bad to happen to the world. I'm not going to die like this."

"Go." Ember motioned towards the door, and the blonde girl and Anna quickly ran towards it. None of the Demonites payed them any heed, as they silently left the building.

 _I can do this now. They're gone._

She took a deep breath, and raised her hand.

" **Well, that's a pity. Because you see, that's exactly how you're going to die."** Springtrap prepared to swing the axe down, and Vivian ducked down, crying loudly.

"Springtrap! Eat this!" The attack was sudden; He had no reason to expect it, and it was absolutely amazing. The beam of crimson energy struck him in the back, scattering Demonites and sending the axe flying from his hands.

" **Rodman!"** The rabbit reached for the axe, only to be pulled back by Ember's mechanical arm.

"Not so fast, bunny boy." Springtrap spun around, only to receive a fistful of purple energy. He flew into the air as the Demonites converged on her. "Well, this'll be fun." She grinned and tapped the Leviathan Cross, then spun around in a circle. The beam of energy cut through the Demonites, blowing up heads, and dismembering body parts. The few who's survived the laser barrage began to flee, as Ember laughed.

" **You…"** She whirled around, and saw Springtrap walking towards her, axe in hand.

"Ah." She muttered to herself. "I'm fucked." The rabbit whirled the battle axe in his hands, and pointed the curved blade towards her.

" **Out of all the humans I have ever met, you are truly the most annoying one I've had to deal with."** He growled as he advanced towards her.

"I've been told that by a lot of people." Ember said, completely expressionless. "27, actually."

" **I care not for figures."** Springtrap said, readying his axe to swing.

"Maybe you should start. Maths is an important life skill, apparently." Roaring in rage, he swung the axe at her, and she effortlessly jumped over it, and pressed the Leviathan Cross to Springtrap's chest. The symbol began to burn through his armour, and the rabbit shrieked as he grabbed her and attempted to pull her off, dropping his axe in the process. Ember hung there, bouncing along as Springtrap's futile attempts to remove her from his body failed, over and over.

When his chest plate was no more than a molten glob, she drew her dagger and began to stab through his costume, chipping at his endoskeleton.

" **Get off me, you stupid girl!"** Springtrap swung his fist, and laughed when it struck Ember on the face. She wrenched the dagger from his chest and gasped, staggering backwards and clutching onto a table for balance.

"I might not be able to beat you." Ember admitted. "But I can distract you pretty fucking well, wouldn't you say?" Springtrap tilted his head, not understanding.

" **What?"** Before he knew what was going on, his battle axe was suddenly stuck into the back of his head, and he fell, his wires popping out of their sockets, and sparks flying wildly.

"Thanks Viv." Ember said to her friend, who smiled back at her.

"Thanks. I'm surprised he didn't notice me escaping."

"That's what happens when you're panicking." She said. "They didn't notice the laser cutting through the chains."

"Then it's a good thing I did." Vivian laughed weakly. "You know, I believe you completely now. You...you weren't being crazy or anything. This is really happening. And you…well." She motioned towards Ember's wings.

"Yeah. Wings. You like them?"

"They're pretty cool." Vivian said. "If Veronica knew that you had them, she wouldn't mess with you."

"Probably. But I have a feeling that Anna and that other girl are going to keep quiet if I ask them too. All that 'You saved my life' motivational bullshit."

"Mm. Is that why you can't walk? Because you're hiding your wings?"

"You're smart." Ember said as Vivian helped her walk. "They're broken now, so they hurt anyway."

"How long till they heal?" Her friend asked, and she shrugged in response.

"Give them an hour or so. Demon blood makes them heal faster."

"What do you mean?" Vivian asked. "You're like, part demon? One of your parents was a demon?"

"Nah." Ember said, as they walked out of the pizzeria. It was night now; there were no cars which came down this road, she remembered. "I messed up a ritual."

"Wow. Okay. But Ember, I…"

"What do you want, Viv?"

"I want in." She said, and Ember froze. "I want in, Ember. I know that you'll probably get worried sick, or something like that, but I can help. I really can. And no one's going to miss me when I'm gone." She realised that Vivian was crying when she said that, and she pulled her into a hug.

"I'll miss you." She whispered to her softly. "I'll miss you, Viv."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And you're in. You're totally in."


	6. Why Do You Persecute Me?

**HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE**

 **Stage 01 is done. You know what this means…**

 **It means I can finally get to the chapters that I wanted to work on. Yeaty, bois.**

 **If y'all are confused about anything, feel free to PM me or whatever, IDK. It's gonna get biblical XD**

 **Enjoy the chapter :D**

 **Chapter 6**

 **Why Do You Persecute Me?**

 _As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"_

 _"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked._

 _"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."_

 _The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything._

— _Acts 9:3–9_

After only a week, the basin was already filled halfway with Ember's blood. Normally a full basin would have been required for her abilities to even work. But with her hybrid blood, it only took a few drops.

Ember sheathed the sacrificial dagger, and watched with a glowing smile as the symbols on her arm began to illuminate.

"What are you doing?" She spun around quickly, and hid the bleeding finger behind her back. Kronyc was hanging from the ceiling, wings folded around him so he looked like a cocoon.

"Nothing." Ember replied hastily, before cursing as a single drop of her blood hit the ground. "Absolutely nothing."

"And I suppose that's why you're bleeding like that." The bat said, with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. Ember pinched the small slash in her finger, in an attempt to stop the flow of blood.

"Shut up." She growled, and passed underneath him to reach the stairs. "I'm going to meet Vivian."

"Are you sure it was a good idea to introduce her to this world?" He asked, and Ember scowled.

"I've already been asked that by three different people." She said with a sigh, as she walked up the concrete steps. "I know what I'm doing; just trust me."

"The day I trust you is the say I die." Kronyc said in a snarky tone, before lowering himself back to the ground and onto the pentagram. "Expect me to come around later tonight." He told her, before the flames of the candles enlarged and swallowed him up.

Ember didn't bother turning around to say goodbye; she'd known he was going to leave as soon as did. Kronyc was like that; he hated being alone, and only went where he could find others to talk to/mess around with. She turned the knob of the basement door, walking into the living room and closing it behind her.

She heard a quiet moan from upstairs, and sighed.

"You should talk to her." Ember whipped around to see Sakhlam out of his fish tank, still a little wet. "I haven't seen you go upstairs ever since I got here."

"She has everything she needs." She snapped back, eyeing the stairs. "I don't _need_ to go up there."

"But like I said, you should." The fish demon said stubbornly. "You can't ignore the fact that she lives here too."

"Mom lives in her own world. She's out of it; I can't talk to her. I…it breaks me." Ember muttered quietly, looking down. "I just can't…I can't talk to her, okay? I just can't." Sakhlam gave her an odd look, but nodded as he walked away.

"Just consider it." She stood there for a moment or two, hugging herself as she shook. Ember always tried her best to push thoughts of her mother out of her mind; the frail, quiet woman who never came downstairs and talked only to herself. She'd been that way ever since her husband had died; and that was a thought both of them consciously avoided.

Ember shook her head as she entered her room, grabbing a black jacket and restricting her wings, before zipping it up. Pain exploded on her back, but she gritted her teeth and pulled the hood over her head. It was the weekend; that meant that Veronica would be roaming around, and that meant that Ember had to keep low. She said a silent prayer as she opened the door heading around the back of her house.

Every step felt like a knife was being stabbed into her back, but it was something she had gotten used to over the years. Accept the pain, and carry on. Don't pause to complain; just recognise that it's there, and walk. It was nothing more than a rule, but it was one of the only things that kept her sane in her condition.

Ember smiled as she reached the forest, leaning against a large tree as she looked up, averting her eyes from the bright sun. Demonites were scurrying around among the trees behind her, but she paid them no heed; they weren't the aggressive kind who had ripped off her arm within the walls of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. The ones who roamed in the forest were there for one simple reason, and that was curiosity.

Ember trailed her hand along the rough bark of the trees as she walked, using them to speed herself up. Normally when she walked past the forest she would have her wings exposed, but weekends were different. Weekends brought people, mostly students, and Ember didn't want to deal with curious teenagers when they saw the wings sprouting from her back.

She eyed the road as she walked, and spotted Veronica's gang walking nearby. Cursing to herself, Ember flung herself around the other side of the tree, and waited for them to pass.

"Right? I don't understand why she doesn't just kill herself." She sighed as she heard Veronica's voice, and instantly knew who she was talking about.

"Maybe you should tone it down a little. That's a bit harsh." Ember heard Anna's voice, and frowned to herself. It almost sounded like she was being defended by her.

"What's up with you today? Usually you're so pumped." Veronica snickered, and Anna fell silent. "What's wrong, don't have a reply?" Ember heard Anna being shoved, and pinched herself. She couldn't afford to get angry; not here, not now. Not when she could expose the world of demons more than it already had been.

"It's nothing. I'm just in a mood." The girl replied quietly. "A little shaken up, that's all."

"And you still won't tell us why." Veronica said coldly, and Ember clenched her fists. She risked a quick peek around the tree, and cursed as she saw Anna pushed up against the wall of a house, a ring of girls around her. "We don't keep secrets here, do we?" Veronica asked, and Ember pulled her head back, breathing heavily.

She had to leave. Pretend she'd never been here, pretend she hadn't seen the scene currently unfolding behind her. It would be better for everyone if she-

Suddenly, Ember felt herself stagger forwards, coming down to her knees.

 _What's happening to me?_

She felt her stomach twist, and collapsed onto the ground.

 _What's happening to me? What's-_

Then she blacked out.

 **xXx**

"Ember? Ember, wake up?" Vivian's voice broke through, and Ember's eyes fluttered open slowly. She met her friend's eyes, who flung her arms around her. "Oh, god. I had no idea what happened to you. I thought you were gone!"

"What happened?" Ember asked, looking around. She was still just outside the forest; that much hadn't changed. She turned her head and frowned when she saw Anna leaning back against a tree, her red hair tucked behind her ear.

"We didn't see you behind the tree. They bolted after you beat up Veronica." The girl smirked. "Nice one, Rodman."

"What is she doing here?" Ember asked, and Vivian frowned.

"What do you mean? You kicked Veronica's butt and then fainted, remember?" She shook her head frantically, and tapped her metal arm with her index finger.

"I didn't do that." Ember said, frustrated. "I remember falling down, but that was behind the tree." Anna frowned, and looked over at Vivian, who shrugged.

"Do you really not remember?" The redhead asked, confused. "You saved my butt back there. Pulled a few ninja moves or something, and used that weird symbol on your hand. Are you _seriously_ telling me you don't remember that?"

"All I remember is falling down." Ember growled as she attempted to stand, before quickly falling onto her back. "Shit. You guys mind helping me up?" Vivian instantly complied, pulling Ember's left arm around her neck and pulling her up. Anna hesitated for a moment, but eventually came to her side, placing the metal arm around her own neck, and helping Vivian carry her.

"I'm not feeling well." Ember admitted when she saw her house.

"Hang on. We'll get you home." Vivian told her as they neared the front door.

"Fucking hell. Your wings must be super heavy or something." Anna panted as Vivian let go momentarily to spin the knob, opening the door. "Why don't you lock your door?" She asked, and Ember let out a small chuckle.

"I have security." She explained as they carried her inside laying her down on the couch. Her head was still spinning as Vivian unzipped her jacket and took it off, allowing her wings to expand.

"That's still super cool." Anna muttered as Ember winced from the sudden movement.

"So, what actually happened?" She asked. "I want to know."

"I thought I told you enough." Anna scowled as Sakhlam approached the couch.

"What happened?" He questioned, causing both Vivian and Anna to scream and jump backwards.

"Cool it, guys. Hey, Sakhlam." Ember grinned as the fish snorted and prodded her arm.

"Answer the question." He growled, and she shrugged.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. One second I'm behind the tree, feeling sick, and the next I'm on the floor with these two with me." She motioned towards Vivian and Anna. "They brought me back."

"She, uh, doesn't remember anything." Anna said hesitantly, eyeing the demon as if he would suddenly eat her whole. "Said she blacked out, but that doesn't make sense. I was getting pushed up against a wall, and she jumped out and gave Veronica a kick in the ass."

" _She_ has a name." Ember muttered spitefully, but was ultimately ignored by everyone else in the room.

"You said that she blacked out?" The fish demon sounded concerned when he asked the question; that wasn't good at all.

"Uh huh." Vivian nodded her head. "Do you know what happened?"

"…I have a theory." Sakhlam said, eyeing Ember's wings. "Ember isn't a natural half demon; she got her wings through a summoning ritual gone wrong. There's a chance that when she got her wings, something else festered inside her." She looked at him worriedly, and tapped her metal arm again.

"You can't be serious." She muttered as he gave her look that clearly meant 'shut up'.

"It's possible that Springtrap's return also awakened Ember's…demon side." Ember stared at him blankly while Vivian made an exaggerated gasp, though she was pretty sure it wasn't faked. Anna just sat down on the couch in shock, while Sakhlam was the only one of them who seemed even remotely calm.

"I feel like you're shitting me." Ember said after a moment or two. "But you look so serious that I want to throw up instead." She was suddenly aware of Vivian squeezing her hand tightly. The action surprised her, but she appreciated it all the same. Anna eyed the two suspiciously, but her gaze quickly snapped back towards Sakhlam. It didn't need to be said that both she and Vivian didn't completely trust the fish demon; at least not yet.

"I'll admit that I've never heard of something like this." He said, his eyes sweeping over the three. "But I _have_ seen demon possession before, and it isn't a pretty sight. People can be manipulated into stealing, killing…one person even bombed a stadium once." This time Ember really did throw up, violently vomiting onto her carpet as she fell onto her knees, gasping for air. Vivian knelt next to her, a concerned expression on her face.

"Shit. I could…I could kill someone?" Ember murmured in disbelief. She glanced at Sakhlam, pleading without words, but in her expression. For him to tell her that he was joking. That there was no such thing as demonic possession, that there was no way she was _ever_ going to be forced into killing someone against her will. But the fish demon's expression stayed grim, averting his eyes towards the empty fish tank. "Please tell me this is a joke. This has gotta be a joke."

Vivian wrapped her arms around her, staying silent. There was no way she could relate to Ember's situation, but she understood why she felt so stressed out. To be told that you didn't really have complete control over your body, that at any moment you could snap, lash out at the people around you, at the mercy of your own demonic conscience pulling at the strings…it would be devastating.

Ember flinched at the contact, but allowed her friend to embrace her as she began to cry, tears pouring down the sides of her face in wavy lines. She didn't want to think about it. It was too much information, too heavy a burden to fit into the mere few sentences Sakhlam had explained it in. The fact that she was cursed with her wings was bad enough; now he was telling her that she might potentially have someone else living inside of her? And a demon, nonetheless. A species which was 1% good and 99% bad.

"It may not actually want to take over completely." Sakhlam pointed out in a futile attempt to reassure her. "It did attack Veronica, after all. You said that you hate her; perhaps the demonic conscience has the same ideals that you do."

"That's wishful thinking." Ember spat back at him through her relentless flow of tears. "I've got a demon living _inside_ me. If it's really not a bad one, why hasn't it shown itself already? Huh?" She hiccupped loudly, clamping her hand over her mouth. Sakhlam sighed, realising that he had no legitimate answer for her question.

"Emmie." Vivian whispered quietly into her ear. "It's okay. Just calm down." Ember turned around, confused, but all her anger melted away when she saw Vivian's face. Instantly the blood rushing to her head slowed, the thumping of her heart beginning to fade into the background. She tiredly slumped into Vivian's shoulder, still weeping, though now silently. She managed a small smile as she sunk further down, eyes closing.

"Since when did you start calling me Emmie?" she asked, causing Vivian to smirk.

"It was meant to take your mind off things." she replied, before there was a sudden silence between the two of them. Anna rose wordlessly, quietly walking over to Sakhlam's side.

"How bad is it going to get?" She asked him, her voice etched with concern.

"Like I said, I've never seen something like this before – I've got no clue." Sakhlam responded. "For all we know, this could be a onetime thing."

"Yeah, now _that_ sounds like wishful thinking." she murmured, evoking a light chuckle from the fish demon. "Say, is it just me, or are those two getting a little too snuggly?" She motioned towards Ember, who was now pulling slightly at Vivian's T-shirt with her mechanical arm, while the latter slowly stroked the other girl's dark hair and rubbed her back.

"It's not just you."

"That's what I thought." Then she left, wordlessly once again, through the unlocked front door. Sakhlam watched her go, before looking back at Ember and Vivian, still sitting down together on the floor. Neither was paying attention to the vomit spewed all over the floor, though Sakhlam still wrinkled his miniscule nostrils in disgust.

"I am _never_ going to understand humans." he muttered as Vivian said something to Ember, who giggled like a three year old. "Goddammit." At that moment Ember glanced at him reproachfully, before going back to burying her face into Vivian's shirt. He made a hopeless whining noise, before backing out of the room. It was probably best to leave them alone.

 **xXx**

"It's all ready." Scrap said to Springtrap with a slight grin on his face; or at least the closest thing to a grin his face was capable of. "We're preparing to initiate the breach." They were standing in the dimly lit space which had once been the female restroom; after Springtrap's awakening, he'd quickly removed the contents of the room, so that they could perform their rituals. However, Ember's use of the Leviathan Cross had rendered the pentagram in this room unusable.

" **Why are you telling me this?"** Springtrap asked in a gruff tone. **"Just do it already. We've waited long enough."** Scrap scoffed, but left the room silently, head hanging down. He passed a Demonite in the hallway, who he briefly nodded to before continuing on to the dining area. The pentagram from the failed sacrifice was still in the centre; the only working one. Standing in the centre of it was a golden statue, beautifully moulded to resemble a calf. The gold had been melted down mostly from stolen jewellery; it had been difficult to find, but they had finally gotten enough, even if it took years.

Scrap walked up to a group of Demonites surrounding the pentagram, the grin on his face once more.

"You know what to do. Open it."

 **xXx**

"Okay, so I'm just going to paint a timeline in your head," Ember told Vivian as they sat at her dining room table. "At one end of the timeline you've got the story of Creation. Where God makes the world and all of that. Then at the other end, you've got the end of time, where Leviathan is killed; however, the whole world ends with him."

"That doesn't sound like a very happy ending," Vivian muttered, evoking a small chuckle from her friend. "What else?"

"Anyway, at the beginning of time, the world gets made, and then you have all these stories about humans being complete idiots; Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, the motherfucking Tower of Babel…but what isn't really mentioned is the creation of demons." Ember paused for a moment, watching Vivian's expression intently. "Before the universe came to be, there was only this dark abyss, which was referred to as Chaos. Anyways, as the world is built up, the Chaos is filled, but it makes a creation of its own; the demons. Millions of the stupid blighters, travelling all over the universe, spreading, well, chaos."

"Uh huh." Vivian tilted her head, confused. "Why exactly is this important for me to know?"

"Because they were _all_ made at the beginning of time, there are a limited amount of demons," Ember explained to her, smirking. "And each demon is connected with _one_ bad aspect of the world, unless they convert, like Sakhlam did. Which means that there's a limited amount of chaos in the universe. So if you kill all the demons…"

"…the world is completely peaceful." Vivian finished her sentence, wide-eyed. "That's what you're trying to do. Eliminate all the bad, replace it with good." Ember smiled at her brightly, flapping her wings.

"Mm. But most Demonites don't become demons for years. They have to…find their true selves first."

"Sound's stupid," Vivian commented drily.

"Yeah. It's cheesy, but it's necessary for their kind. Not all of their domains necessarily consist of pissing on humankind. But for the most part, they do. At first they all look the same – ram skull, skeletal body – but eventually they take on their new form. It can take thousands of years for them to fully change." Vivian somehow managed to keep a straight face throughout Ember's entire longwinded explanation; for some reason, she didn't feel like her mind had been blown when Ember had revealed the truth about her 'job'. It actually felt completely natural, like everything in her life had suddenly come together.

"How many have you encountered?" she asked, causing Ember to frown. The dark haired girl counted on her fingers, muttering names out loud.

"Avaren, Malech, Sighard, Kronyc, Galhater, Bavalach, Sakhlam, Xalmafer…eight in total, I think. I've seen a lot more in books and stuff." Vivian made a slow whistling sound, before suddenly perking up.

"Books?" Her eyes gleamed, evoking a small facepalm from Ember. She had forgotten about how much Vivian enjoyed reading. She'd read every book in their curriculum for the next three years in two weeks.

"Yeah. Books." Ember flicked at her hair, closing her eyes and dreading what was most likely about to happen. "My dad kept them in the basement. They've been passed down for years. Every demon ever encountered, their respective rituals, properties about them, their influences…etcetera. I found them in the basement after he died." Vivian suddenly grasped her hand, her mouth opening. Ember already knew what she was going to say.

"Show. Me." She let out a groan, reluctantly dragging Vivian downstairs as she clung to her arm with a grin on her face. At least she hadn't started squealing yet. She usually didn't stop until she was halfway through the book. Ember made her way over to a shelf on the left side of the pentagram she kept in the centre of the basement. Vivian followed her, eyes flashing as she seized one and flipped to the first page.

"You know, for some reason it just strikes me funny." Ember said randomly. Vivian gave her an odd look, tilting her head, ponytail drooping to one side.

"What?"

"You read so much…" she began, "and yet you seem to know little to nothing about Christianity. I thought you would have at least read Genesis." When Vivian's expression didn't change, Ember gestured towards the book she was holding. "You just picked up one of the 87 editions of the Holy Bible lying around this house." Now it was Vivian's turn to facepalm. She hadn't even bothered to read the cover. Ember rolled her eyes, mechanical fingers twitching.

"Eh, I'll just read it. I need to get around to it eventually. Otherwise I won't understand a single reference that you say." Vivian smiled as Ember gave her a grin.

"Took you long enough."

"But seriously, where are those demon books?" Vivian asked. "I thought you said you kept them in the basement."

"Oh, I do." Ember chuckled, shaking a little from her laughter. "I just hid them." She stopped instantly when Vivian glared at her, instead muttering a few lines of incomprehensible gibberish before leaving. "Uh, corner of the room. Behind the basin." She motioned towards the white basin before slowly walking backwards. "Don't touch it. Bad stuff will happen." Before Vivian even knew what was going on, Ember had disappeared.

"Thanks." She muttered, before remembering what she wanted to do. "Ah. Demons. Yeah. Gotta do that." She sidled away from the decoy shelf (which was loaded with exactly 61 of the 87 bibles) before approaching the basin. Vivian frowned, looking it over with curiosity, particularly the glowing symbols etched into the stone. But what caught her attention the most was the large pool of crimson liquid sitting still in the bowl, not rippling in the slightest. Even her breath wouldn't disturb it.

"God, Ember. What the hell have you been up to?" She suddenly felt a chill down her spine, spinning around to see if anyone was there, but there was only a worn wooden crucifix. "Oh." She muttered. "Sorry, Jesus." The object didn't reply, but there was the faint pitter-patter of feet coming from the stairs. Vivian whirled around as Ember re-entered the basement, carrying her spear across her back.

"He _is_ listening, in case you were wondering." Ember grinned in amusement, striding over to Vivian. "He just doesn't say anything."

"Because that totally makes it less creepy." She murmured drily. "What the he-uh, what is that thing?" She motioned towards the basin, symbols pulsating as Ember closed the distance. The girl sighed, shaking her head.

"It's something I use to channel power through the symbols on my arm." She explained.

"Is that _your_ blood?" Vivian pointed at the pool, while Ember just shrugged. She scrunched up her face, eyeing the liquid as if it was the plague. "Jeez, Emmie. Why the hell would you do this?"

"You're still calling me Emmie." Ember observed, elbowing Vivian playfully. "Really, it's fine. Just a few drops a day; I prick my finger. It doesn't hurt at all."

"You promise me?" Vivian asked, looking genuinely worried. "Because you've had that arm for three days, and that _definitely_ isn't a few drops per day." Ember gave her a guilty glance, but shrugged all the same.

"I told you; it doesn't hurt. Really, Viv." Her friend didn't reply, simply nudging her back softly. "You don't have to worry. Heck, if you want to call me Emmie, call me Emmie. If it helps, then do it." Vivian poked her lightly, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Why've you always gotta be so nice?" She asked, hugging her friend tightly. "You know, I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I know, Viv," Ember whispered back to her. "I know."

 **xXx**

The fissures in the ground began to spread as Scrap stepped back, admiring the sight. Glaring light poured through the cracks in the tiled floor, illuminating the darkened restaurant and momentarily blinding the Demonites. Soon though, their eyes had adjusted to the light, as they blinked through the glare to see a clawed hand come over the edge of the crack, a serpent's head poking over as its tongue flicked, as if it was tasting the air.

The sickening grin on Scrap's face began to grow as the demon pulled itself out of the hole, facing the rabbit and grinning.

"It's been a while," Scrap began, "hasn't it, Avaren?"


	7. They Lacked Nothing

**Welcome to cringe fest chapter 7, in which cringe takes place.**

 **JK, but I know that this story isn't up to my usual standards. I** _ **promise**_ **that the sequels will be better (I'm already planning the plots).**

 **But for now, bask in cringe. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **They Lacked Nothing**

" _How you have helped the powerless! How you have saved the arm that is feeble!_ _What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!_ _And what great insight you have displayed!_ _Who has helped you utter these words?_ _And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?_

" _The dead are in deep anguish,_ _those beneath the waters and all that live in them._ _The realm of the dead is naked before God;_ _Abaddon lies uncovered._  
 _He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing._ _He wraps up the waters in his clouds,_ _yet the clouds do not burst under their weight._ _He covers the face of the full moon,_ _spreading his clouds over it._ _He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters_ _for a boundary between light and darkness._ _The pillars of the heavens quake,_ _aghast at his rebuke. By his power he churned up the sea;_ _by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces._  
 _By his breath the skies became fair;_ _his hand pierced the gliding serpent._ _And these are but the outer fringe of his works;_ _how faint the whisper we hear of him!_ _Who then can understand the thunder of his power?"_

— _Job 26:1–14_

* * *

"Did you know–?"

"Probably." Ember interrupted her, rolling her eyes. "I didn't think you'd be so engrossed in it. It's _history_. I thought you hated history." Vivian pouted, flicking to the next musty page.

"Yeah, but it's being told as a story. And it's an _interesting_ one. Usually history is ancient civilizations and shit, which this is, but at least it's not cliché. Probably because it sounds fictional but it's real; I'm enjoying Exodus." Ember snorted at that, flicking her hair.

"Everyone likes Exodus. It's cool," she replied, absentmindedly pulling the dagger from her belt. If Vivian noticed, she didn't react to the motion. They'd already talked about Ember's practice of blood sacrifice. "And Job is my favourite of all. Leviticus is the one I tend to avoid."

"Why is that?" Vivian asked, to earn a small shrug from Ember as the dark haired girl proceeded to prick her finger on the edge of the blade. A thin line of crimson blood began to drip down the blade, before halting at the very tip. It hung there for a moment, until enough of the liquid had collected for a single drop to fall into the pool, causing it to ripple softly as it plunked loudly.

"I mean, I get that it's the one after Exodus," Ember sighed, watching the next drop follow quickly after the first. "I've read it before. It's just sort of forthright. If you know what I mean." Vivian looked at her oddly, before turning her head back towards the book in front of her. After the tenth drop, Ember stepped back, wrapping her finger in a tissue before joining Vivian on her couch. "What're you up to?"

"The plagues." Vivian answered without looking up, whistling as her eyes widened. "Damn. I get why you have Hail carved into your arm now." Ember smirked, prodding her playfully before closing her eyes, deep in thought. Her demon side had not yet returned; had it simply retreated? She certainly hoped so; she could do without having a serious case of demonic DID. That would _definitely_ mess up her sleep schedule. And she wasn't even considering what such a thing could possibly do to her relationship with Vivian. Keeping their friendship would be hard, if Ember was able to suddenly be controlled by a demonic entity.

"You're a fast reader," Ember observed as Vivian's eyes swept over the page, almost hungrily, before she quickly flipped to the next. The ponytailed brunette nodded quickly, otherwise completely disregarding her comment. It wasn't long before the two could hear Sakhlam's feet padding down the basement stairs. Though she knew that it was Sakhlam, Ember readied her spear out of reflex, pointing her harpoon towards the only entrance. When the fish demon arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he didn't seem surprised at the spear pointed towards him. Instead he simply rolled his eyes, walking over to the pentagram and laying down, letting out a contented sigh.

Ember's gaze flickered briefly to the basement stairs, before she stood, stretching her left arm, while her right one hung by her side.

"I'm gonna leave now; it _is_ still the weekend. I'll see if I can get something out of the local Demonites." Vivian snapped her head towards her, aghast.

"Didn't they try to kill you last time?" she asked, horrified at Ember's idea. "Didn't they try to kill _us_?" Her friend sighed, taking her spear out of the harpoon gun, laying the latter on the ground.

"Those weren't Demonites from around here," Ember explained. "The ones who live in the forest are generally pretty friendly and curious. I've even talked to a few of them; they're pretty nice. Believe me Viv, they aren't going to cause any trouble with me. I'm certain that if it gets too bad, they'll side _against_ Springtrap." Vivian still looked hesitant, but sighed, looking back at the book in her lap.

"Fine. But just be careful," she said. Ember gave her a mischievous wink, before turning to Sakhlam.

"Look after the house, okay? I'm going now." The fish demon grunted in agreement, shifting his head slightly to the left so he could see Ember. He gave her a nod, before going back to just lying down. Ember shook her head in exasperation, before taking off her jacket and flying up the stairs. Vivian's eyes followed her until she was out of sight, before turning to Sakhlam.

"When did she get you as her guard dog?" The demon didn't answer, instead looking at her and poking out his tongue. Vivian sighed, shaking her head. "Goddam–" Sakhlam's head shot up, giving her a threatening look. She gulped, instantly stopping herself. "Sorry," she murmured sheepishly when Sakhlam didn't back down. "Still getting used to this." His expression softened, but he didn't stop staring at her until her gaze went back to the book. "Sheesh."

Sakhlam wasn't entirely sure what he thought about Vivian. He tolerated her lack of biblical knowledge, but only because Ember had told him to. He couldn't understand how she could be so clueless when she was best friends with Ember, who was easily the most religious person he had ever met. He wouldn't say that she was unintelligent, however; she seemed smart, for the most part. And he was surprised at how quickly she was settling into the whole situation. Most people would have gone crazy, but Vivian had firmly believed in Ember's explanation.

And then there was the way she acted. Ember seemed completely oblivious to Vivian's odd behaviour. He doubted she had always acted like this; just an hour ago, he had heard Ember's confusion at Vivian calling her 'Emmie'. Weirded out as he was, Vivian probably had gotten more attached to Ember after she'd been rescued by her from Springtrap's ritual. It was completely natural, yet it tugged at that part of Sakhlam's mind which always seemed to scream 'but'. But what? Maybe it was how physical they were in expressing their emotions to each other. At first he'd put it down to their close friendship, but he'd thrown that option out of the window once they had started snuggling together on the carpet. Especially when Ember had started pulling Vivian's shirt, and the latter had begun stroking her hair. That had definitely gotten weird quickly.

"Are you just going to sit there all day, or are you gonna move?" Sakhlam turned to look at Vivian, who glared back, clearly unimpressed. "I thought Ember told you to look after the house while she's out. Why are you just sitting there?" He grumbled, disgruntled at being disturbed.

"She didn't mean that I had to get up and fox guard the front door," he replied grumpily. "I'm protecting the _pentagram_ , so that _demons_ don't get in. Sighard and Malech are hanging around; they'll take care of any rogue humans."

"You mean thieves?" Vivian asked, prompting Sakhlam to snort loudly.

"Whatever you mortals call them. Ember refers to them as cocksuckers. I have no clue what a cock is."

"Probably for the best," she murmured, not really directed at Sakhlam. She slid her bookmark in – a little strip of paper with a crude drawing of a smiling stick figure on the end – to keep her place, before snapping the book shut. "I finished Exodus," she said with finality, grinning.

"Good for you," Sakhlam rumbled in disinterest. "Skip Leviticus. There are more than a few reasons as to why Ember hates it." Vivian opened her mouth to ask something, probably about why everyone was telling her to not read it, but at that moment, the pentagram began to glow, causing Sakhlam to snarl. He would probably be able to keep the demon from coming through, but such an effort would be futile if it was of Mammon's levels of Greed. To his gratitude, the glowing slowly faded away, till the pattern on the floor was as dull as it had been before.

"Crap; it's one of Mammon's. Call Ember. Tell her that we need everyone to get back together."

* * *

 **xXx**

"Hello?" Ember called out as she stepped into the woods, looking around. "I need to talk to you guys about something important!" There was no reply, as the rustling of the trees filled the uncomfortable silence. Usually the woods were crawling with Demonites, but today was different. Something had happened.

Ember frowned as she walked through the trees, clutching her spear tightly. Suddenly, she heard the sound of snapping wood on her left, causing her to whip around quickly.

"Psst!" There was a Demonite behind a tree, head lowered slightly as he crouched low to the ground. He held out his hand, motioning for Ember to approach him. She walked slowly, spear at the ready as he slowly rose to his full height, head tilting every few seconds.

"What is it?" she asked, but the Demonite didn't answer. He peered over her back, as if he was waiting for something to happen.

"Everyone else has fled." He whispered to her. "The woods are no longer safe from Springtrap." Ember felt like scoffing; the woods, with its population of thousands of ghosts, wasn't safe? It was absurd, yet she felt inclined to trust this Demonite. She had never been lied to by a Demonite, even if they changed after they found their domains.

"Why?" she asked, confused. "This place is one of the strongest spiritual hotspots in this town. How could it not be safe from Springtrap?"

"It is not him we fear," the Demonite hissed, "but his allies. He has called upon so many that the forces of this forest are weak in comparison." Ember frowned, leaning forward a little so that there was hardly any distance between her and the Demonite.

"Who did he call upon?" She asked, her heartbeat accelerating as the Demonite looked around a final time, his nervousness evident in the way his knees trembled.

"They call him Avaren," he whispered to her quietly, before dashing back into the shadows. Ember froze, unmoving as she felt her heart stop. Avaren. One of the most powerful Greed demons in existence. The demon who had murdered her father. She sunk to the ground, breathing rapidly as panic overtook her senses. Her eyes darted around rapidly, peering into the shadows with a new sense of attention peaked by her sudden paranoia.

Springtrap had called upon him; probably not just because he was an extremely powerful demon. No, this was different. He had summoned him because of _her_. Because Ember was the only person standing in his way. Because he needed her out of the picture. He'd been so desperate, that he'd summoned one of the most notorious demons to ever exist. Avaren. The Keeper. The Devourer of Wills. How could she hope to stand against a creature as powerful as him? As influential as him? It would be a hopeless battle, a futile attempt of vengeance. There was no winning this fight.

She wondered what Sakhlam would make of this. The fish demon had established that he was only sticking around for the benefits provided to him, yet he seemed to care about her wellbeing to a certain extent. Did he know Avaren? Could he talk him out of it? Could he _kill_ him? Or would it be the other way around, Ember walking into the pizzeria to discover Sakhlam's lifeless body lying in the centre of the room, Avaren's serpentine body hovering over him, eyes glowing with ever growing malice.

This wasn't just fighting for this town, not anymore. Springtrap had just made this battle personal.

* * *

 **xXx**

As Vivian walked into her house, she was thinking about what her mother would say about this whole situation she was in. Of course, she couldn't actually tell her, but it was still daunting to think about what she would say. Vivian herself was now just an overflowing well of emotions, sometimes happy, angry, confused, sad. This whole situation, with Ember secretly being a demon hunter, a crazed serial killer now back from the dead; at this rate, she was having trouble figuring out what was real and what was in her imagination.

She'd left the bible back at Ember's house, but had taken a crucifix dagger, at Sakhlam's request. Supposedly, Ember had the weapon made specifically for her. Vivian could feel it, too. It was the perfect weight, her hand gripping the handle and swinging it like it was an extension of her arm. It made her think of Ember and her arm being torn off. Just like that, sadness rushed in to fill the void of emotion.

Vivian kicked her shoes into the corner, before tiptoeing through the hallway to her room. She cringed as her foot struck a creaky floorboard, waiting for someone to appear and ask what had happened. She could hear someone in the room next to her, the sound of light footsteps echoing from under the door. She prayed that it was just her mother. She was wrong.

Instead when the door creaked open, she saw her father standing in the doorway, blue eyes staring at her own green curiously.

"Viv," her father greeted, reaching out and ruffling her hair. "What is it?" Vivian stayed silent for a moment or two unsure of how to respond. It wasn't that she didn't like her father; it was just that he was a human lie detector. There was no way she could get past him without telling the truth. Or at least part of it.

"I'm uh, worried about Ember," she answered truthfully. "She got her arm torn off." Her father's surprise was evident in his expression; his eyes bulged, cheeks sucked in.

"What? How did that happen?" he asked in concern.

"Uh…she didn't give me all the details." Still not a lie. "Apparently she got attacked, though. The guy tried to kill her, and when she fought back, he tore off her arm."

"Has she told the police?" he questioned. Vivian shrugged, not wanting to tell him what had really happened.

"Eh. She said that it's already been taken care of." Her father's eyes bulged even more than before, but she somehow managed to keep a straight face.

"So, uh, what about her arm?"

"Oh, she got a mechanical one. It's completely fine. That's what she says, anyways. Uh, I need to get something from my room." She attempted to brush him aside so she could get past, but he stood firm, eyeing her suspiciously.

"What are you hiding behind your back?" Vivian froze at his question, but quickly regained her composure as she showed it to him. A silver cross, the length of her hand, engraved with symbols, some of which Vivian could recognise, others whose meanings she remained oblivious to.

"Just a cross. One of Ember's," she explained. Her father eyed the cross with a look of suspicion, but it was quickly overcome by curiosity.

"She's religious?" Vivian snorted at the question, shaking her head in annoyance.

"Have you been listening to _anything_ I've said about her for the past year, dad? Yes, she's religious. The most religious person I've ever met. So religious that sometimes she starts quoting bible verse at random occasions, which is ridiculously annoying." She pushed past her father, holding onto the cross with an iron grip. She was more or less annoyed at her father's forgetfulness. He hadn't even remembered a simple detail. Vivian wondered, though, what he would make of her converting to Christianity. Both her parents would probably faint.

She entered her room shutting the door and throwing the silver cross onto her bed. She scrambled to her desk, throwing aside random objects which sat on top of it, till she found her phone in its fluoro pink cover. Vivian entered in Ember's number, waiting for her friend to pick up.

"Viv?" Ember's voice sputtered. "What is it? I'm kind of occupied." It wasn't difficult to tell that she was irritated by something. It almost made Vivian feel guilty. Almost.

"Sakhlam told me to call you. Someone tried to get through the pentagram." She cringed as Ember let out a cry of anger, turning down the volume.

"That was probably _Kronyc_ , not an attacking demon! He told me he'd be coming back tonight! Is that all you have to tell me?!" Ember's voice was breaking up; Vivian could hear the faint sound of her sniffling on the other end of the call. How long had she been crying?

"Emmie, what happened?" she asked, concerned for her best friend. "Did your demon side come back?" For a moment she didn't receive an answer, just silence, but eventually Ember's shallow breathing returned.

"No," she whispered back, voice hoarse. "But someone – some _thing_ did, something worse." Vivian frowned as Ember sniffled again. It must have been really bad for her to have broken down so badly. What could it be? Something worse than her demon side? Springtrap, again? At this point, there were so many spirits and demons running around this town that she had forgotten most of their names.

"Who?" she asked. "Who came back?" Ember whimpered softly on the other end, but composed herself enough to give Vivian a strained reply.

"His name is Avaren. And he murdered my dad." Vivian held her breath as realisation set in. All of a sudden, the demon attempting to break through the pentagram seemed like a miniscule problem. If the demon who killed her dad had finally returned, then it meant that Springtrap wasn't just targeting the town; he was after Ember too, and was willing to resort to playing on her emotions to neutralise her as a threat.

"That's terrible," Vivian muttered, as Ember sniffled again. "Is he here because of Springtrap?"

"Yeah," Ember replied. "Stupid bunny rabbit. First the rogue Demonites, now this. What is he trying to do?" Vivian pondered this, sitting on her bed.

"No clue. But uh, I don't think it was Kronyc trying to get through. Sakhlam seemed worried; said that it was one of Mammon's, or something." Ember seemed to freeze up, because the other end went completely silent.

"Are you sure he said Mammon?" she asked, voice shaking. " _Mammon?_ You're kidding."

"I'm not," Vivian muttered back, worried. "What's the worry?"

"Mammon is the instigator of Greed," Ember explained. "And Avaren is one of the most powerful Greed demons in existence."

"Instigator of Greed? Yeah, that doesn't sound good."

"No crap. Are you back at the house?"

"Nah. Had to go back to mine to get my phone. Give me a minute to change, and I'll be over there."

"Cool. See you there."

"Uh huh."

Vivian hung up, looking towards her door and seeing the faint shadow visible in the crack between the door and the floor. Her dad had been listening in on their conversation.

 _Worry about it later. He'll come to you._

Sighing, Vivian slowly pulled off her sweat soaked clothes, replacing them with a green T-shirt, black jacket and denim overalls cut off at the knees. Turning her head, she saw that her father's shadow had since moved from the last time she'd looked. Breathing a sigh of relief, Vivian exited her room as she heard his breathing from the room next to her.

"I know you're there," she said calmly. "You don't have to hide." For a moment there was more uncomfortable silence, Vivian's dad halting his breath from the surprise. But before long she heard his hand clamping around the doorknob and the slight strain from the unoiled contraption. The door swung open, revealing her father standing next to her.

"What were you talking about with Ember?" he asked demandingly. "You sounded extremely serious, for a chitchat involving gibberish names."

"Not gibberish," she said suddenly, to his surprise. "It's real. Uh, secret code. You know." He looked at her sceptically, tilting his head as he stared into her eyes.

"Secret code, huh?"

"Don't judge," she mumbled. "It was her idea. She's pretty paranoid."

"Fair enough. Care to share this _secret code_ with me?" he asked. Vivian shrugged.

"There's a reason why it's called secret, dad. Can't tell you squat. Ember would murder me if I did." He looked annoyed, but left her alone as she moved past him, a small spring in her step. It wouldn't do any good to keep Ember waiting.

* * *

 **xXx**

"Mammon. One hundred percent."

"Uh huh."

"Then it was definitely Avaren."

"Yeah."

"So essentially, we're completely fucked."

"That too."

"Argh!" Ember sat down, head in her hands as Sakhlam ran down the list of things which had confirmed Avaren to be the one attempting to break through the pentagram. A serpent signature was obviously present, the faint flickers of fire which he often spewed out. And then Mammon's trademark presence of Greed. Avaren, without a doubt. "And we're sure that it's not his brother? Horum?" Ember asked in desperation. Sakhlam shook his head, sighing.

"Horum is of Satan's realm. A great serpent of Wrath. The two share certain similarities, yes, but a demon's original sin cannot be replicated. I felt Mammon, so there's no doubt about it being Avaren. And if it's Avaren…"

"Then he's declaring war," Ember finished, standing up and furiously kicking the wall. "If that's true, we need all hands on deck. We need everyone. _Everyone_."

"I know," Sakhlam told her. "That's why I told Vivian to call you. Although the reason why she leaves her phone at home, is something I will never understand." Ember snickered, as the fish demon abruptly stood up and walked over to her. "So, are we doing this or not?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ember murmured. "Summoning. Well, Kronyc already said that he would stop by tonight. Galhater and Sighard are out at the moment now, right?"

"Uh huh."

"So we don't bother summoning. They'll all be home at the same time. I hope. And if they don't…well, we can hold the line for a little by ourselves."

"Maybe," Sakhlam agreed. "Perhaps. It all depends on whether that attempt through the pentagram was a full on attack, a test, or a warning. Because if it's the third option…"

"Then we can expect a full out assault. And that means that this town may fall."

"Something like that." Ember sighed, shaking her head.

"You're _really_ not helping, buddy. You reckon you could be a little more supportive?"

"Oh, stop whining," he growled at her. "You're better than that. How do you expect to defend this town if all you can do is complain about the odds? If you don't like the way things are going, then tip the scales in your favour."

"And how will I do that?" Ember demanded angrily. "We're going up against Avaren, Sakhlam. Avaren. The almighty serpent of bullshit himself. How do you expect me not to–" She froze as a loud noise began echoing down from above, causing the basement to shake. She turned to Sakhlam, who eyed her in worry.

"Is that what I think it is?" he asked her. Ember nodded, eyes widening.

"Yeah," she muttered. "Horses."


	8. A Quart of Wheat for a Denarius

**Chapter 8**

 **A Quart of Wheat for a Denarius**

 _When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not damage the oil and the wine."_

– _Revelation 6:5-6_

If a person were selected at random off the street and told that the horses were coming, they most likely would have no idea what that meant. But to Ember and Sakhlam, that phrase meant a lot of things. It meant a discord which would slowly but surely spread to everybody in this town. In short, nothing which anyone sane would ever consider good. Ember burst out the front door of her house, looking around wildly as the clacking of hooves continues on, seeming to resound from everywhere around her. She grimaced as she noticed the absence of people on the road, realizing that something must be causing them to stay inside. It was never this quiet in town, at least not until midnight. Something was terribly wrong.

Suddenly, the sound of the hooves completely stopped, Ember tensing as she stopped breathing for a moment to see if she could hear anything going on. But other than the absence of people, there was nothing to suggest that this was not a normal day. She walked onto the road, closing the door behind her as she looked to the left, expecting for a figure to emerge around the corner, but nothing appeared. To the right was her school, with nothing out of the ordinary there either. The view in front of her was perhaps the most mundane, simply an open field of a mixture of green and dry grass and brightly colored flowers. But, Ember recalled, the grass there had never been dry or dead. Every morning it had been the same, just a sea of green, as well as a few coloured specks dotting it here or there.

But that was when the mist began to roll in. It came from the woods behind her, the school gates to her right, the street from the left and the field in front of her. A seemingly endless blanket of thick grey-brown fog, approaching like a slow-moving wave on the open ocean. As it moved, Ember could see faint impressions of the grass it was obscuring from her vision, each individual blade instantly withering as soon as it was touched by the sea of mist. There were shapes moving through the fog – at first, she thought they were nothing but a trick of the light, but it soon became apparent as their outlines grew darker through the smokescreen that there were _things_ in the fog approaching her.

And to be honest, _things_ was the best way to describe them, because the moment the fog halted its advance, floating upwards and letting the creatures emerge from within, Ember knew without a doubt that they were not demons. If anything, they looked almost human, their bodies almost completely identical in structure, at least on the outside. However, there was no way that these creatures were humans either. They were dressed in black rags, which only covered their heads and torso, their limbs being completely exposed. Their flesh clung to them in dark patches, almost grey as they advanced, a few even clinging to the bone and swinging freely. Their faces were skulls, only a few minuscule pieces of skin covering up sections of their skulls. All of them walked with a limp in either leg or in some cases, both. Their movements were fatigued and slow yet also jerky, as their limbs and head moved erratically from time to time, quickly twitching one way or the other. And as they tilted their heads, their teeth would rattle against each other, creating a low cacophony which sent chills down Ember's spine.

She readied her spear as the decomposing creatures limped closer, approaching from every side as she silently prayed to herself. However, when they were only a few meters away from her, forming a tight circle of shambling bodies and closing off every exit apart from the front door of her house. To Ember's surprise, she could see that the creatures were breathing despite their seemingly undead state, each breath causing them to jitter slightly as they heaved up and down, bodies slouched forwards and gazes fixed directly onto her. Suddenly, the creatures standing on the field of (now dead) grass began to slowly part, creating a thin passage between them as Ember saw another figure approaching through the mist, this one significantly taller than the creatures. She didn't need to guess who was approaching as she heard the distinctive clacking of hooves, each of the creatures stamping their feet in unison. There was a pause between each clack as if the horseman himself was trying to mock her, lengthening their impending meeting as he approached slowly.

The creatures seemed to more restless as the figure approached, a few on the field beginning to quietly wail, their heads dipping forwards as their jaws creaked and mist spewed from their throats. Ember jerked instinctively at the sight, as many of the creatures began to do the same, wailing or moaning as the clacks became louder and their stomps increased in volume to match it. While they continued to spew just brown or grey mist for a while, some insects began to emerge from the mouths of the creatures, flies or locusts, even a few noticeably enormous cockroaches as they moaned and wailed, rattled their teeth and stomped in anticipation. The buzz of insects soon joined the frenzy, causing Ember to wince as they began to form a rising cloud in front of her, each creature contributing as the great pillar of insects began to ascend, while the cockroaches and centipedes paraded back and forth on the cracked road.

Suddenly, all of the commotions completely stopped, the creeping things halting in their paths and the flying insects dropping like stones as the figure finally appeared out of the mist. Ember's eyes widened as she beheld a black horse, darker than even a starless night sky as it brayed, tossing back its withering mane of her. Each time it snorted a black cloud would puff from its nostrils, before disappearing into thin air within seconds. As the horse came further out of the mist, she realized that its flesh was peeling off in several placed, similarly to the creatures. However, before she could make any more observations, her attention was drawn to the fearsome beast's rider, who sat atop its back. The figure was dressed in a black cloak, his head hooded by darkened rags exactly the same as those of his followers. However, the garment reached all the way down to his arms and legs, though Ember could see that his hands and feet were made of only dirty, unclean bones. Weathered fingers gripped the horse's reins, the horseman's body slouched and haggard. While his left hand gripped tightly onto the reins, in his right he held a set of scales, though they were completely empty. His face, unlike those of his followers, was constantly changing. Every second flesh would regenerate, yet it would also rot and fall off. The flesh almost seemed to drip like blood from the rider's face as he stared at Ember, his expression unreadable.

"What is your name?" Ember asked, even though she already knew the answer he would give her. The horseman paused before he answered, almost as if he had not been asked this question thousands of times by so many people.

"I dost go by many names," he finally said, his voice deep and menacing yet still barely more than a quiet whisper of the wind. "The people of this Earth, the sons of Adam…they calleth me many things." He leaned forward as he spoke, allowing the reins to slip free from his hands as his spine creaked loudly and his followers mimicked his movements. "Once, they knew us only as the Four Horsemen, but that soon changed. We becameth the Apocalypse, the impending destruction, the scourge which would wipe the unclean life of all sons of man off this holy land. Then they saw the scales in my hand, and I becameth Famine and Pestilence, the Black Horseman. And yet I still hearest the new and the old clash across the Earth, whenever they speaketh of me. Sometimes I becometh the wind, sometimes I becometh the very soil. Sometimes I becometh graceful mercy, and sometimes I becometh a cold, painful death. There shalt always be those who seeth me as their true salvation…and yet there art those who wilt forever see me as the epitome of all things undesirable. All of those things, all of those names…they maketh me." Ember merely nodded, her eyes lowering to the charred hooves of the black horse. If the horseman was bothered by her not looking at him, he made no sign of his annoyance. He simply carried on, as if she was still staring him in the face.

"Thou art one who seeth me as the latter thing," he said to her, followed by a hushed sigh which almost seemed like a quiet breath. "For most, I peer in confusion, but thou…thou I understandeth, Ember Rodman. For thine father, I knew well to be a man of pure heart and mind. His strength wast not in his blade, but in his mind and his words, coated in the poison of asps and knives of sharpest steel. And he…he becameth one of the kingdom. And I sawest thou in thy youth, understanding the truth of the wicked world in which we liveth."

"You knew my father?" Ember asked, now curious about the horseman. "How did you know each other?"

"He came to me, on a winter's day," the horseman told her. "On a hill a great ways from here, we met upon a darkened morning. I said unto him, 'for what dost thou seek me out in the shadows?' But your father wast not a fool. He knew I had already seen into his heart – yet, not by intention, for it spoke to me. Dost thou know? The hearts of men always speak to me. Thine heart, however, Ember Rodman, remainest shielded to me. But only because of thy father, and that promise which I made unto him." Ember stared, her curiosity replaced with confusion. The creatures congregated around them suddenly shot back so that their backs were straight, tilting back their heads and letting out an array of startling screeches which seemed to shake the air. She stepped back in shock as the horseman continued, his voice taking on a threatening tone. "And so, thine soul belongeth to me, and art mine to control. Knoweth this, Ember Rodman – Armageddon cometh, and on that day, Hagalaz shalt rain from the sky, and the lakes will turn to blazing fire. Be sure thou art on the side of the true God." Ember only glared hatefully as the horseman's followers took a step forward in unison, their feet raising a cloud of dust around her to contribute to the mist. The flying insects began to lift off the ground once more, the creeping things resuming their paths.

"What was the promise?" she asked, choosing to ignore the activity around her. "What promise did you make him?" The horseman showed no sign of discomfort as he straightened his back, his jaw clicking as it knocked against his chest.

"That I wouldst maketh thou something more than man," he replied. "That your blood would be no longer pure, so that when Armageddon arriveth on this Earth, thou wouldst not be so helpless. And yet, here you grovel like a pig." The creatures around them seemed to cackle at his words, their own backs instantly straightening, creating a unified, ear-splitting crack which sent shivers down Ember's spine. Then the horseman pulled in his reins with clacking fingers, tugging at the horse and directing it to turn around. His followers dispersed along with him, turning and shuffling off just as the mist began to roll away, and the insects crawled up their legs to escape the lack of cover. The flies and locusts who were not so lucky instantly fell prey to the harsh rays of the sun which broke through the smoky barrier, burning into blackened ashes within mere seconds. All the while Ember stood in her place, completely silent and her face expressionless as slowly the fog faded, instantly replaced by the countless piles of falling ashes. Almost as if it was raining.

Armageddon cometh, and on that day, Hagalaz shalt rain from the sky, the horseman had said. As Ember watched the last remnants of mist disperse and the final ashes blanketed the earth, those were the only words she could think of.

Armageddon.

 **xXx**

Vivian arrived at Ember's house at nightfall, when the grasshoppers had already emerged and were playing their shrill tunes. One of the insects even jumped out in front of her onto the road, chirping loudly before scuttling off. 'Welcome latecomer,' it seemed to say. 'Glad to see you could finally join the party.' She was feeling slightly delirious and decided at that moment to spit at the insect in a futile means of hitting it. If anything, the chirping only seemed to grow louder, as if the grasshoppers were laughing underneath the piles of pale, withered grass. 'Too slow,' Vivian imagined them saying. 'We're too fast for you.' However, the state of the grass drew her attention away from the insects, instead focusing on how this very field had been green like every other only the last time she had been here. Perhaps something had happened while she was away. She started at the thought. Something happening to Ember while she was gone?

Though she didn't run, she instantly quickened her pace, looking back over her shoulder every few seconds, as if clawed hands of polished bone would emerge from the darkness and wrap themselves tightly around her, dragging her into the shadows. She still thought about the incident at Freddy's every second of the day, though she never told Ember that. Of course, it had happened recently, so there was no surprise that she was still affected, but she wondered if she was being ridiculous. She kept seeing things which weren't there, demonic skeletons hiding in the shade of a large tree, a rotted green hand of fabric and machinery emerging from a storm drain and grabbing onto her bare ankle and marking it with newly spilled blood. She was always wondering about the what-ifs; what if Ember hadn't escaped in time to free her, what if Ember had never been there, what if that powerful laser had not just sliced through the chains binding Vivian, but her as well? The worry continued to fester, and through festering, it grew tenfold. Shadows were monsters. People were walking corpses. And Ember...was the only one who still felt the same. Even if she was no longer the crippled girl with a back injury, but a demon slayer who was kind towards her friends but ruthless towards her enemies. Even Anna felt off to her whenever they talked, but perhaps that was because Vivian didn't know her too well. But Ember had always been there. Ember had always stuck by her, even if it had once felt the other way around. She wouldn't let anything happen to her friend – she wouldn't be able to live with herself otherwise.

Now in full panic mode, Vivian pushed open the front door of Ember's house, charging through the living room and clumsily stumbling down the basement stairs. She didn't realize how much she was overreacting until she saw Ember casually sitting back in an armchair, sipping a bottle of coke as Sakhlam snored from his position on the pentagram. It almost looked normal – that is, if fish demons were commonplace in most household basements. Ember barely reacted to Vivian's arrival, simply raising an eyebrow as the brunette flushed in embarrassment. The other girl clearly already knew what she was thinking.

"Surprise, I'm not dead," she said casually as if Vivian needed to be told so. "Want a coke?"

"What the hell happened?" she asked in confusion. "I was worried about you! All of the grass was dead and I was here literally less than a day ago, which makes no sense because before it was all green, and for some reason, there are grasshoppers jumping everywhere around town and–"

"Whoa," Ember said, putting her hand up to stop Vivian. "Viv, you need to calm down. Not that much happened. I just got a visit from an asshole of a horseman, who basically told me not to fuck around with Avaren and that he's the only reason I haven't died yet, and that he _also_ is the reason I have wings, blah, blah, blah. I told you, nothing too significant."

"Emmie, that sounds significant."

"And since when did you know everything?"

"I don't, I'm just concerned about you," she admitted honestly. "I keep thinking that the next time I'll see you is in a coffin. And I really don't want that to happen." Ember just laughed at the comment, placing down her bottle of coke on the small table beside her and leaning forward.

"Believe me, Viv, that won't happen. I won't even have a funeral, so there wouldn't even be a coffin. It's straight to the morgue for me, and then I'm burnt to ashes."

"Don't talk like that about yourself!" Vivian almost shouted, causing Ember to flinch. Realizing that she had raised her voice, Vivian darted her eyes away from her best friend, towards the corner of the room. "Sorry about that." Ember hardly seemed upset, just shaking her head.

"It's nothing. You're the one who's right. I should know by now that I shouldn't talk like that. I'm sorry. I keep taking things too far." Vivian sighed, sitting in a chair across from her, fiddling with something in her pocket.

"Stop. Stop saying stuff just because it's what you think I want to hear."

"I'm not," Ember said, sounding a bit hurt. "Revelations hit me really hard. That's just how it is, Viv." Vivian frowned but didn't comment again as Ember stood up, stretching her back. "Anyway…ideas for how to deal with skeleton man?" Vivian stared blankly, not understanding. "The horseman, Viv," Ember explained further.

"Oh, right. Uh, I don't know. Would your regular weapons work on him?"

"On _them_ , Viv," Ember corrected her quickly. "Multiple horsemen. And no. As much as I hate them, they aren't demons. They originate from somewhere other than the spiritual realm."

"Wait. There's more than one?" Vivian asked in shock.

"Well, I mean–"

"Emmie, there's more of those things?!" Vivian yelled. "You're kidding! You have to be! One of them can kill plants and conjure grasshoppers out of thin air – what the hell can the others do?!" 'Oh, a lot of things,' Ember wanted to say. 'They could probably kill everyone in this whole damn town, wipe us off the face of the earth so that the only proof we ever existed was a scorch mark on the ground.' But she said none of that because the mere mention of a mass killing would probably cause her best friend to burst into tears and not stop crying for literally hours on end. Ember wasn't sure if she would be able to endure the sight. If that happened, she might start crying as well.

"Listen, don't worry about it," Ember assured her, placing her left hand on Vivian's shoulder. "It'll be fine, I promise you. We stick together, and those idiots have got nothing on us."

'Liar,' she thought to herself. 'You stupid, fucking liar. You need to tell her the truth.' Just as quickly, another part of her fought back, arguing as if it was another person.

'Tell her the truth and she flees,' the new voice said. 'She runs, the horsemen find her, and then she's dead, just like the rest of the people are going to be. Do you like that idea?'

Ember decided that she didn't.

"You sure?"

"Of course I am."

"You sound like you're spitting bullshit at me."

"I'm not lying," Ember lied in a tone which was hardly convincing. Vivian just glared in response, but sighed and sunk down into her chair just as the voice suddenly wormed its way back into Ember's head.

'You're a terrible liar,' it told her. 'You may want to work on that.' She didn't reply to it, simply looking over to Sakhlam, who suddenly snapped his eyes open and stood up as if he'd been shot.

"They're arriving," he said, and that was all Ember needed to know.

"How soon?" she asked, but all the demon stare at her grimly.

"A few minutes," he answered, causing Ember to look worriedly at Vivian. 'You need to protect her,' the voice said. 'Make sure she doesn't get hurt. Right now, she is all that matters.'

'Why is that?' she asked the voice, but she didn't argue, for it spoke the truth. At that moment, Vivian was all she cared about.


	9. One Brief Hour

**Oof. Okay, here we go.**

 **Chapter 9**

 **One Brief Hour**

 _And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt._ _And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?_ _Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak._ _He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done._ _And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy._ _And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words._ _Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners._

– _Matthew 26:39-45_

They didn't come in a few minutes, as Sakhlam had told her – the pentagram exploded barely ten seconds after he'd announced they were approaching. Ember hastily grabbed Vivian and pulled her away from the fiery blast, which sent Sakhlam flying away from the chalk circle just as a clawed hand emerged from the flames. Green scales coated the hand, causing it to glow from the light of the wire as the rest of the appendage pulled itself out of the blaze. Ember's eyes widened as she noted the muscularity of the demon's arm, while Vivian shielded her face from the harsh light and Sakhlam attempted to stand, though his legs failed him. The demon emerging from the fire hissed loudly, as an armoured head sprang out of the pentagram, sporting two circular yellow eyes which shone at Ember like the headlights of a car. A long reptilian tongue snakes out of the demon's maw as he grinned, pushing himself out of the flames and rising to his full, monstrous height. His clawed feet were enormous, a massive crack sounding each time they slapped against the floor. A serpentine tail swished behind him, sending gusts of air towards Ember which caused her to stagger back.

"Ember Rodman." The voice was surprisingly smooth, almost mistakeable for a human's if not for the unnatural hissing which seemed to always be droning at the back of his throat. "When was the last time I saw you? Years ago, wasn't it? Back then you were but a small child, seeking vengeance for her father's death…I remember the day so vividly." The demon halted in his advance as the light from the candles finally began to die down. "So young, you were. And so foolish. It seems that your foolishness has not left you to this day, hmm? You still carry it with you…or perhaps it simply refuses to let go?"

"Avaren." Compared to the demon's calm composure, Ember's voice was shaky, her nervousness causing her to stutter and take loud breaths in between syllables. "Foolishness…is a-a companion to all of us, isn't-t it? Everyone carries it-it…in some form." Her hand twitched, as she remembered leaving her spear on the other side of the room. 'Can't help it now,' the voice said from the back of her head. 'You need to take him head on now. Protect Vivian at all costs. Because she's all that matters.'

"Indeed," Avaren said, apparently pleased by her answer. "Foolishness comes in all shapes and sizes…but it is always there. And that is what you must seize…your opponent's foolishness. For you can always rely on it…to lull them in." Ember tensed at his words, knowing exactly who he was talking about. 'Focus,' the voice reminded her. 'Don't let the anger take over you. That's what _he_ wants.' But oh, it was hard. Her anger which had been accumulating over the years was fighting so, damn, _hard_ to escape. As it slowly began to take over, she felt her fear being crushed and destroyed, locked away at the back of her mind. And soon as she trembled, it was not due to worry. No – it was anger. Anger which spread through her body like a cancer, taking over her impulses and thoughts, whispering to her in ways that she'd never felt before. As she looked at Avaren, her hand twitched, fingers clenching as she thought about what she wanted to do to the demon. She wanted to kill him so badly. Punch him, pummel him, tear out his flesh with her teeth, stab him, let him bleed, mutilate him, rip his head off, dismember him in the most painful way, torture him, kill him, kill him, kill him–

 _KILL HIM!_

 _KILL HIM!_

 _MUTILATE HIM!_

 _TEAR HIM APART LIMB FROM LIMB MAKE HIM PAY AND WATCH AS HE BLEEDS YES BLEEDS WHILE YOU PUNCH HIM AGAIN AND AGAIN AND HIS SKULL CRACKS OPEN HIS BRAINS FALL OUT HIS BLOOD FLIES EVERYWHERE MAKE HIM SUFFER IT'S ALL HIS FAULT KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM–_

"What the fuck are you doing to me?" Ember screamed at the demon in horror as she felt her body lock up, her thoughts clouding. Nothing made sense. Nothing was right. She needed to stop it. She needed to stop it by killing _him._ Avaren. She needed to kill him, kill him, KILL HIM–

"Stop being so stupid." Ember jerked forwards when the voice spoke again. It wasn't at the back of her head anymore. It was there, with her, at the front of her mind, speaking into her. "All of this is his fault. Yeah, that's true. But you've forgotten about what matters. What's more important, eh, Ember? The asshole in front of you, or her? Have you forgotten about her already? Come on, girl. Don't be so idiotic." She wanted to ask who the voice was. She wanted to know. But she already knew. That other side of her which Sakhlam had told her about. It was talking to her now. And it was right. Because Vivian was more important than killing him, Vivian was more important to _her_ than fulfilling a vendetta she'd held inside her for years. And Vivian was behind her, and she needed to be protected.

"Viv, go upstairs," Ember said calmly as she stared Avaren down. The demon seemed surprised by her action – he'd expected her to succumb to his influence, just as everyone else had. Just as her father had. But she'd broken through it, somehow. Was it because she was part demon? Maybe. But that wasn't enough for him – almost nothing ever was. There had to be more than that, there always was. Then he saw the frightened girl behind her, and remembered what Ember had said. And instantly, the demon understood.

"Are you crazy?" Vivian asked her best friend, who had miraculously regained her composure. "I'm not leaving you here."

"Viv, please. You need to go."

"No way in hell."

"Please. I don't want to see you getting hurt."

"I don't either."

"Then go upstairs, so you don't have to." A pause. Fleeting. And then…

"Okay. I trust you." Avaren and Ember listened as Vivian left up the stairs, their eyes in a deadlock. Neither moved from their positions, as Avaren spoke quietly to the girl in front of him.

"You and your friend…you're very close." Ember scoffed, not moving from her position. She was determined to keep the demon downstairs, even if it cost her life. Vivian was too important. She couldn't die – she'd been dragged into all of this because of Springtrap and his stupid desire more omnipotence. Even though he knew he could never be a god, he'd risked the lives of hundreds, killed even more, in his quest. A quest which would lead to nothing but destruction. Greed could be more powerful than Wrath, she supposed.

"What do you know about closeness? What do _you_ know about friendship?" Her eyes were burning with hatred now, wings extended as far out as possible. She imagined his death again, but even more gruesome this time. She saw herself doing it all, the satisfaction reaching her even though she knew it was only a vision, a hope. She tore off his arms and legs, savagely ripped apart his chest, rammed the Avaren's sinuous tail into his own gaping jaws, his teeth shattering at the ends and his eyes bulging in terror. It was all so beautiful. But Ember kept her grip on reality, refusing to let him take control. Refusing his reality.

"You'd be surprised," Avaren replied simply, his posture changing slightly as his tail swept over to the other side, lightly thumping on the ground as the multitude of scales scraped loudly. "I had a dear friend once. We were very close, for many years. We were almost brothers. But when it came down to my life and riches, he chose the latter. I killed him for it." Ember flinched, trying her best to maintain her calm expression while she panicked on the inside.

 _This guy is telling me about killing his best friend holy shit I'm about to diiiiiiieeeeeee!_

"So you killed your friend? That's a pretty shitty relationship you had." Avaren narrowed his eyes when the words left her mouth, spewing out before she could stop them. But she didn't regret it. Not one bit.

"He chose a stash of gold over me," the serpent hissed at her in anger. "Don't act as if you understand. You're a child, nothing more. If you were a few years older, then perhaps you'd see. But right now you may as well be blind."

"Blind?" If she hadn't already known that Avaren was an ass, she would have been shocked. "You have the nerve to call me _blind_? You literally just walked into my house without a fucking invitation! Into the same room where you killed my fucking dad!"

"Right, right. Your father. What was his name again? It's been so long since that day that I can barely remember…"

"F-Fuck you!"

"And here I thought you were meant to be creative. Let's see. Was it, err, Michael? No, that wasn't it. I recall that it was a biblical name…"

She couldn't understand him. Their last meeting had been brief, cut off by the arrival of her wings. Avaren had stuck around, mocked her, before taking his leave, diving back into the twisting flames. But now he almost seemed…normal. Almost like the first time she'd met Kronyc – he'd laughed, made jokes at her expense, but in the end he'd done nothing. Agreed with her ideals. Said that he'd always be on call if she ever needed him. Avaren was the same. Hell, he was trying to give her _life lessons_.

 _What's your play, devil man?_

He could have killed her, too, all those years ago. Instead, all he'd done was leave. Turned his back on her, jumped back into the pit while she writhed about on the floor, new demonic bones splitting apart her flesh and skin, ripping through her shirt and bursting outwards as she'd screamed, begged for it to stop.

But Avaren had left her alive.

 _Why did I never think of that?_

"You were blinded. You still are." Ember frowned, confused, as she stared at the demon in front of her. "You always assumed that I simply defeated your father in combat. No, no…he was targeted." His expression remained the same. It didn't shift. She didn't want to believe it.

"Why…" She couldn't force the words out of her mouth. "Why would you…"

"I am not an evil creature, Ember Rodman," Avaren told her as he took a step forward. Testing the waters. The clawed appendage touched the ground, scratching as it twitched to the side. "I never have been. They painted me as one, yes. Said that I killed innocents. But that has never happened. All I have ever done is go after those whom the others have been too afraid to face. The ones who hide behind a mask. Tell me, what makes you think your father was a good person?"

 _What?_

She was shocked. What was the demon…trying to do? What was…what was he insinuating?

"A _good person_? What do you mean? What the _fuck_ is that supposed to mean?" Ember was…angry. But she stayed put, kept her legs locked, wings still hovering over her head. "He was my dad! He'd…he'd…"

"What?" the voice asked her. "What would he do, Ember? Do you remember? Do you?"

 _No. I…I don't._

"I'm not surprised," Avaren admitted as he looked at Ember, saw her stare at the floor.

 _Pathetic._

"You were young. I can understand that. The things he did…you wouldn't understand them now. I suggest you talk to yourself. You might find something more." Ember stared.

 _How does he know about the voice?_

"Anyways," the demon continued, "I came her only to give you a warning. When I return, I will be telling Springtrap that this house was empty. But soon, he will have it destroyed either way. So do what you need to do. I hold nothing against you, Ember Rodman. I only ask that you look within yourself."

The flames emerged from the pentagram, Avaren stepping back into them. And then they took him away.

 _Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit…_

"You can stop swearing now," said the presence, its voice silkily smooth and disturbingly familiar.

 _You're me. I'm you…_

"No. We're different, you and I. We always have been. But I've always done what I've needed to do. To keep you alive."

She didn't understand. Couldn't understand. Once it had merely been a voice. Now it was…one with her, yet separate at the same time. An extension which was disconnected, yet felt just as much a part of her as everything else.

 _I'm going crazy._

"Is…is the bastard gone?" Ember turned her eyes to Sakhlam, who slowly got to his feet as he winced in pain. "Damned blast got me between the scales…"

"He's gone," Ember confirmed as she looked around at the dishevelled state of the basement. "Didn't even want to fight. Just gave a warning, as a sign of good faith."

"This _is_ the one who killed your father, right?"

"Yeah."

"You don't seem too angry with him."

"…not as much as before." At that moment, she thought of going up the stairs. To see _her_. Avaren had said Springtrap would have the house destroyed…if he was to be believed, it needed to be empty before that. Especially of _her_.

"…can you keep an eye on the pentagram?"

"Wouldn't dream of doing anything else."

She left the basement after that, her mind wandering while her thoughts were random and uncollected. She saw Vivian when she made it to the top of the stairs. They stared at each other for a while – it took a moment before Ember remembered what she was going to do.

 _Don't put it off for longer._

She climbed the next set of stairs, aware that she had not done so in weeks. They creaked loudly every time one of her feet made contact. It was…irritating. She almost stepped on a nail once, its spiked head peeking out of a splintered board.

She never made the same mistake again.

"Mum?" It'd been a while since she'd said that word. Since before she'd torn off Bavalach's head. She'd left everything she might ever need up there, so that she'd never have to come down, even though she was perfectly capable of doing so. The last time her mother had seen the sun was a while ago.

"Ember? What are you doing here?" It felt strange to see her there, sitting in her chair, a book open on her lap. Her hair was perfect, obviously well taken care of, the cascades of black and brown falling down to just below her shoulders. How much time has she spent working on it? Ember was well aware that her mother had probably finished every book in the attic – some had begun disappearing around the house, but she hadn't mentioned it. She may as well entertain herself.

"We need to go, Mum. The house might not still be standing in a few days."

 _I need to leave I need to leave hurry up hurry up._

"Okay."

 _Oh thank goodness._

She didn't say anything else. Her relationship with her mother was so vastly different from what it used to be that they could barely relate to one another. She only gave her mother a quick nod, then rapidly made her way down the stairs.

She didn't go out the door, where Vivian was waiting for her. Instead she went into the small room situated on the opposite end of the house, in which lay a single chair and a candle. Ember quickly lit the candle, closing the door behind her and sitting on the chair.

Avaren had only asked that she look into herself. And she was going to do that. The voice, the presence…she would face it. And she wouldn't be afraid.

Outside she could hear her mother coming down the stairs. The minutes passed. The candle flickered. The house creaked and groaned. And then there footsteps.

In front of her, a pair of feet emerged from the shadows. The figure dragged a chair in front of them, spinning it around, before sitting down and wrapping their legs around it with a level of flexibility Ember had only seen possessed by contortionists. Two demonic wings hung over her head, and her face…

Her face was Ember's.

"Right!" the lookalike said with a grin on her face. "Time for introductions. Well, I already know your name, actually. Hi, Ember. I'm Arma.

"I live in your head."


	10. Fire and Brimstone

**So, I've decided that after Dreamers and Plush are both finished, I'll work on remastered versions of Stage 01 and Let Me Breathe. These will have vastly different plots fitted to match the rest of the Banishers universe, as well as changing several inconsistent details which have no place in this universe. Just some details for those of you who are interested:**

 **Changes for Stage 01 (these aren't all of them):**

 **-Arty is getting cut from the story**

 **-Drastically changing interaction between Charlie and Michael (he shows up more)**

 **-Lengthening certain arcs**

 **-Removing certain arcs**

 **-Certain characters that would have died won't die**

 **-Certain characters that wouldn't have died will die**

 **-Charlie doesn't become an expert in fighting after two minutes of talking with William**

 **-More elaboration on the Phantoms (Michael's vigilante group)**

 **-Interludes away from Charlie's POV (yes I've been reading web serials recently)**

 **-Different ending (thank God)**

 **-More realism**

 **-More elaboration of Abaddon (I mean he was meant to be the bridge between Stage 01 and Armageddon but oh well)**

 **-Actual character development (yes I know I promise I'll do it this time)**

 **Changes for Armageddon: Let Me Breathe (also not all the changes)**

 **-Story starts with Ember's first day at school**

 **-More establishment of her first meeting with Vivian and their relationship**

 **-Character development**

 **-More exposition regarding demons and their nature**

 **-Actual scenes about Ember befriending demons**

 **-Rituals straight from the Book of Belial (nah but they're more realistic)**

 **-Ember takes time to learn stuff**

 **-Less religious bullshit**

 **-More development of Springtrap and Scrap as villains**

 **-More of the Horsemen**

 **-Different ending**

 **-More realism**

 **-Springtrap isn't a Saturday morning cartoon villain.**

 **I won't remove the original stories, and will still finish Let Me Breathe, but be aware that Stage 01 and Let Me Breathe as they are now are not canon to the Banishers universe.**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter anyways.**

 **Chapter 10**

 **Fire and Brimstone**

 _And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my lords;_ _behold now, thy slave has found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die. Behold now, this city_ _is_ _near to flee unto, and it_ _is_ _a little one; Oh, let me escape there, (_ _is_ _it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also that I will not overthrow the city for which thou hast spoken. Make thee haste, escape there; for I cannot do anything until thou hast arrived there. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar._ _The sun was rising upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar._ _Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of the heavens; and he overthrew those cities and all that plain, with all the inhabitants of those cities, and the fruit of the ground. Then the wife of Lot looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt._

– _Genesis 19 18:26_

Her words brought no shocking revelation. They struck her with no hidden meaning. But that was because no revelation needed to take place. No meaning needed to be hidden. It was there, plain and simple, compressed down to five simple words. Five words. Five words, five crazy, utterly _insane_ words, and all Ember Rodman felt was acceptance.

 _I live in your head._

The way Arma had said that sentence was completely innocent, without a hint of malice. As if she had simply stated a fact. And she had. Told her the truth. About who she was, where she was, why she was there, with those four words alone.

That ritual. The way she'd messed up…the consequences had been more than she could have ever imagined. Too much power, too much. It hadn't just been the wings.

Because nothing could ever be so simple.

"You don't look surprised." Arma was still wearing her stupid grin, her head tilted to the side as she tapped her foot against the floor. "I suppose I only confirmed suspicions. Am I right? Of course I am. I _know_ you. Everything about you. And you…you're a smart one."

"Thanks for the compliment," Ember replied with a hint of sarcasm. "Why did you only show up _now_?"

"Didn't want you to freak out too bad," Arma admitted. "Too risky. You'd think you were insane, first of all. After you got over me, you would have tried to kill yourself, because, well, demonic presence in head. You never would have found out that demons aren't necessarily pieces of shit, and…well. The world would've been worse off, that's for sure."

"So what was I, to you? A pawn? A vessel?"

"Sometimes, I guess," Arma replied, her voice tinged with something resembling amusement. "But, to be honest? You were whatever you needed to be." Her expression contorted into a grimace. "And sometimes you were just what other people wanted."

 _Why are you saying it like that?_

"What?" Ember asked, feeling confused. "You mean I was…what, a tool?"

"No." Arma shook her head. "Not a tool. More like…a toy. A plaything." She looked up at the girl sitting opposite her. "That's what you call them, right? Playthings?"

"I…I d-don't understand," Ember stuttered as Arma gave her a look of pity. "W-what are you talking about?" Her other half seemed to contemplate how to answer her best, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

"Alright, err, how do I explain this? Oh, right." She clapped her hands, then paused. "Maybe not. Err, alright. We'll go with this." She frowned. "How much of your life do you remember? How much of it is clear?"

"What? What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer the bloody question, Ember." She sounded desperate. Or, at least, worried. Anxiety sucked for everyone, Ember supposed.

"Pretty much everything is fine," she said, still confused as to where this was going.

"Everything even when you were little?"

"No one remembers everything from when they were little."

"Duh. No, I meant after the…the years when you were a toddler. Come on. Ages six, seven, or eight…surely you know something, right?" Ember froze.

 _Shit._

 _What the…_

 _Why can't I…?_

"Finally setting in, huh?" Arma asked, looking completely unsurprised. "Yeah. I don't blame you – it was hard work cutting all the bad parts out, replacing them with the good, stretching 'em out so that they lasted longer, spanned more time, more memories…it was messed up, that's for sure." She leaned forward, hands clasped in front of her. "How well, did you know your dad, huh? _Our_ dad."

"How well do I know…oh. Oh."

"Yeah," Arma muttered, trying her best to pull off a smirk. She didn't come close to succeeding. "It's funny how much stuff can be blank without you noticing, isn't it? I mean, whenever you thought about your dad…it was always only just a couple of memories, right? Like a photo album, but there was pretty much nothing in it. Just a couple pictures, and then the rest are empty."

And she was right. That was how it felt. That feeling, that sudden understanding, this…this revelation. It was all…missing. Missing, just…not there.

 _Where is it? WHERE IS IT?_

The rest of them had to be somewhere. Right? They had to. They just…they just had to. There was no way they were all gone. No way.

"Oh, they're not gone," Arma assured her. "Just…behind a wall, I guess. And you don't have the password to open the door."

"Why not?" Ember asked. She felt desperation, worry, anxiety, all rolled into one.

 _What was it? What was so bad that you had to remove it from my mind?_

"So many things," Arma said, causing Ember to flinch. "I can hear your thoughts, remember?" Ember scowled as Arma gave her a sad smile. "Believe me, you don't want to see them. I know you _think_ you do. But I can't let you. I can't…I can't show you. They're too horrible. In the end, all it'll do is hurt you."

"So you're telling me that half of my life is missing, and then shutting up? Not gonna tell me what happened?"

"That's exactly what I'm doing," Arma deadpanned. "I wanted you to at least know _something_. Something that you could understand. Maybe it would puzzle you, confuse you, or make you hate me. But trust takes a while to establish. And if I told you what I know? Now, right here?" She leaned forward, choosing her next words carefully. "It would _break_ you."

 _She means it. She really does._

A knock on the door, someone calling her name. Feminine. Maybe it was Vivian? Anna? That…other girl? The blonde one?

 _Wait. Crud. What happened to her anyway?_

 _How could we all just forget she existed?_

"Anna didn't," Arma provided. "They were friends beforehand. Her name's…Rose. Springtrap talked about her when you were unconscious. I listened." She looked at the door, sighing. "I guess we'll have to cut this short." She extended her hand, smiling lightly. "It was nice to finally talk to you. Face to face, I mean."

"I guess so," Ember muttered as she took her hand. "Will you come out anymore?"

"Sure," Arma said. "If you need someone to talk to."

A ray of light split through the darkness, Ember flinching as she heard the door opening behind her. She twisted her head around, eyes setting on Vivian's silhouetted form.

"Ember? You alright?"

 _She looks so worried_.

"I'm fine."

 _I'm not._

"Is…everyone ready?"

"Yeah. Just waiting on you now."

 _I'm sorry._

"Alright. Let's go." She twisted her head back round, silently observing that Arma and the chair in which she had sat had both disappeared.

 _Shadows hiding from the light. Poetic._

She got up from the chair, silently following Vivian as their footsteps echoed through the nearly empty house.

 _This doesn't feel right._

She'd lived here her entire life. To just let it go…it hadn't been how she'd been planning to move out. Maybe when she was eighteen. Or maybe she would have still lived here then. Waited till she'd gotten married. Found someone nice.

 _This isn't what things are meant to be like._

 _This isn't how things are supposed to go._

She'd abandoned those dreams a long time ago, from the day her back had split open and her taloned wings had emerged, coated in blood and shining even the dimmest of candlelight. Those dreams, those fantasies had been exactly that – her imagination running wild, false hope placed in the childish corners of her mind.

 _But that was never going to happen._

 _ **I think we both knew that.**_

Arma's words struck her in a place where she'd never felt pain before. She understood their meaning with a pain that she couldn't have fathomed before. Those dreams that were never meant to be, they were always meaningless, constantly changing. Details different every time, new additions sneaking in, changing faces, altered landscapes, scenes that shifted with colour and vigour, until it became her ideal future for that particular moment in time.

And it was all for nothing.

Why had she allowed herself to be deluded by such… such bullshit?

"People are allowed to dream," Arma said from her side, appearing with no warning, with no clear sign of entry. Suddenly, she was just… there. And yet it felt entirely natural, to the point that Ember felt no panic, no surprise. It just felt normal. There was no sense that something wasn't right, that what was going on right next to her shouldn't be happening. "You know that, right?"

"And be deluded by them? The dreams?" Ember asked as she looked behind at the empty hallways of her home, a single tear trailing from each eye. She had so many memories of this place, good and bad, of every floor in the house. But perhaps the most of all came from the basement, from which came a flood of moments both good and bad. She remembered summoning demons and decapitating them, offering deals and promises both false and true. She remembered friendships and moments of happiness, planning and plotting with her allies, Malech, Sighard, Kronyc, Galhater, and Sakhlam, and now Vivian and Anna, in a way.

This house meant so much, not just that basement. Years upon years, countless memories, it just… it couldn't end just like that, could it?

So sudden.

So quick.

So…

Insignificant.

Did any of it really matter? Had she accomplished anything?

"Ember. Are you coming?" Vivian asked, watching her as she looked back, her mind racing, remembering, reminiscing.

"Yeah, yeah, I just…" She didn't know what to say. It was a strange feeling. Both freeing and devastating, the angel and the demon both silent. "Yeah." She followed Vivian out of the house, despite the twisted feeling coming from her stomach.

 _ **You don't want to go.**_

 _No, I don't._

 _ **I know it's hard. Fuck, I'm you. But…**_

 _I know. It's necessary._

"Let's go," she muttered to herself, so quietly that not even Vivian could hear her. She looked back at the house, the place she'd where she'd lived for so many years.

 _Goodbye._

She saw her mother standing there awkwardly, Sakhlam standing beside her. She nodded towards them, before Vivian took her hand.

"Come on." They started to walk. What their destination was, she didn't know. They went to the woods, travelling along the tree line, as howls and cries echoed from within the brown and the green, the skeletal bodies of Demonites flickering as they ran past, hundreds of metres away. Ember found her mind drifting, thinking about nothing, though she was still moving, responding, continuing to breathe. Vivian's hand was the only thing guided her as she followed, occasionally stumbling. Her eyes were unfocused, not looking at anything in particular. Her mother and Sakhlam trudged behind them, the sounds of their feet crunching against the ground reminding her of what Avaren said to her in the basement.

 _I need to talk to her._

 _ **No. No, don't. Not yet.**_

She frowned.

 _What do you mean?_

 _ **Remember how I said it would break you? That hasn't changed.**_

 _Fuck._

She stared ahead, glancing towards Vivian, who gave her a tired smile. She tried to return it, but found herself unable to muster the energy.

 _How do you do it, Viv? How are you so… amazing? How do you keep going, even knowing all of this, knowing that I am, what I do, what I've done?_

"Do you need a rest?"

"No, I'm fine."

"You sure? Emmie—"

"Believe me. It's fine."

 _Is she convinced?_

 _ **You're usually better at acting than that.**_

 _Oh, crap._

"You're a terrible actor," Vivian grumbled. "You could just say it, you know. 'Why yes, Vivian, I'm tired as shit and want to sit down for _one fucking second_ , but oh _no_ , I'm not going to because I can't _stop walking!_ Oh, the tragedy, the horror, oh my!'" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm and playfulness. "Emmie, you're allowed to rest."

 _ **She's right, you know.**_

 _Oh fuck off, I know._

"Alright. Fine. We'll… stop." Ember muttered. "For… a minute or two."

"Five. More if you're still tired."

"…fine. Dammit, Viv."

 **xXx**

"You know, every single time someone's tried this, it's failed."

" **I do believe that you have told me this already, Scrap. Several times, in fact."**

"Well, yes. It's just, well, I know we got Avaren out, but—"

" **But?"**

"Couldn't that have just been luck?"

" **I don't believe in luck."**

"Right, right. But well, so many others have tried this too. And it's blown up in their faces."

" **They were mortals."**

"So are we."

" **We** _ **were**_ **. There is a difference, Scrap."**

"Of course, of course. A difference. And how will that _difference_ affect the ritual? Avaren was _one_ demon, and he's already run off to do who _knows_ what. We sent him after Rodman, but he isn't back yet, is he? No. He's not. Fucker's probably already wanking off to reptile porn on a basement computer in a remote town in Utah."

" **Must you be so vulgar?"**

"With all due respect, we're talking about Avaren, here. Brother's _known_ for being treacherous."

" **Indeed he is,"** Springtrap said, as he looked at the golden calf, sitting innocently on its pedestal. **"And that's why he's being watched."**

Scrap froze, confusion and shock somehow coming over his mechanical face.

"By who? Who the hell is doing the watching?"

" **Me, of course."**

"You?"

" **Yes."**

"But…" Scrap turned to Springtrap, then looked back at the calf, the pedestal half buried under dirt, gravel, sticks and stones. "Since when?"

" **Since I found the shard. Since I attached it to myself, bound the two of us together. It has blessed me with power, the power to see all, and the power to** _ **know**_ **all."** Springtrap's words were that of a madman's, and Scrap found himself slowly edging away from his leader. A tight circle of Demonites joined them, encircling the calf as the structure began to work its intended effect. **"And today, I will draw upon the power it bestowed upon me, to open the rift between worlds for not just a simple summoning, no—a gateway, a** _ **true**_ **gateway, between Earth and place mortals call hell."**

"Are you certain that the shard didn't, uh, mess with your head?"

" **Of course! Why would it ever do such a thing?"**

"Springtrap, you found a glowing yellow stone in an obsidian box buried beneath a church of Satanists. I'm pretty sure there's a reason why is was locked in a box."

" **Even so, desperate times—"**

"No, don't say it, do _not_ say it—"

"— **call for desperate measures. And now is one of those times."**

"You've just ripped off ninety percent of the movies in the universe. And that's not even counting the documentaries."

" **Scrap."**

"Yes?"

" **You do realise that we are witnessing a demonic ritual?"**

"Well, yes."

" **This is not the place for jokes. I told you to be serious."**

"Because what, the shard will guide us?"

" **No, no, no. I am** _ **one**_ **with the shard. It does not guide me, for I am** _ **it**_ **. Right now, right here, we are about to make history."**

Springtrap was, unfortunately, entirely correct. He and Scrap were making history, opening up a dimensional rift to the dimension in which all demons originated. The spiritual realm. Or, rather, 'The Chaos'.

The cracks grew, blazing red light seeping through, shooting upwards and glaring into their eyes as shouts of anger and fury from through the rift began to come through, the scratching and clawing of a thousand blades, from demons and Demonites alike. As the harsh scarlet glow began to grow brighter, the screams grew louder, and the scratching became sharper. And then a black, skeletal hand emerged from one of the cracks running through the ground, its fingers scrabbling around before its hooked claws found purchase in the loose dirt, and began to pull. Soon it was joined by a similarly skeletal body, and a head similar to a Demonite's, though slightly warped, as if the creature was still in the process of transitioning between Demonite and demon. Flames bathed its body, its bones engulfed by flickering red and orange fire, an eternal light bound to its body.

" **Talaseh,"** Springtrap said, **"are they ready?"**

The demon's upper and bottom jaw clacked together, misaligned teeth gouging scars into the bone as its eyes lit up with the blazing fire which enwreathed its body.

"Ready? We've been ready since the first day," the demon said with glee. "They're all dying to leave that cursed place."

" **How many?"**

"Enough. More than a dozen have already arrived, a few more hours and you will have another ten."

" **Excellent. And how strong?"**

"On par with Avaren, at the very least. And of course, you have the Harbingers on your side."

" **Yes, they were… interested in a long term alliance. They believe that Rodman will continue to be a thorn in their side as well as ours, if she is not dealt with soon enough."**

"And Rodman is likely to attempt to close the rift?"

" **Yes."**

"Then she will be dealt with." Talaseh raised a bony hand, Springtrap grabbing it and helping to pull the demon out of the crack. The bone demon cracked their neck, before raising their head and allowing their jaw to fall open. And then they howled.

Scrap could _feel_ the sound of Talaseh's howl reverberating through the air like a minor shockwave. Trees shook, the earth trembled, and the cracks which slowly grew in size, slithering like snakes along the ground as they spread wider and wider.

And then it all stopped.

" **Will they come?"** Springtrap asked, before he heard the dozen or so howls of reply—though not as loud as Talaseh's first message, they were equal in energy and enthusiasm.

"I don't think I need to answer you there," Talaseh said in a tone that was disturbingly eager. "We find her, then we kill her. And then you give us the artefact."

" **Yes, of course,"** Springtrap said, grinning disturbingly. **"The… artefact will be yours. As soon as you finish the task, that is."**

"Good. Then I bid you farewell. When the others arrive, send them to me." And then Talaseh left, running into the trees, their howling ceased.

" **Has Talaseh decided yet?"**

"On what?"

" **On gender."**

"Oh. No, no. Not yet. They're, uh, waiting till they're fully transitioned. They've still got another day or two before completion."

" **I see."**

"So, uh, you're really giving them the artefact?"

" **What… you mean this?"** Springtrap grinned as he held up a battered black book bound in leather. A red pentagram was crudely painted onto it, which Scrap had to admit was the most horrendous thing he'd seen in his life.

" **Scrap, if a person is stupid enough to hand** _ **demons**_ **a copy of the Book of Belial… well, I think you know."**

He was right. He _did_.

And it wasn't looking too pretty.


	11. There the Ships Go To and Fro

**Chapter 11**

 **There the Ships Go To and Fro**

 _How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures._

 _There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number- living things both large and small._

 _There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there._

 _These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time._

 _When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things._

 _When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust._

 _—Psalm 104: 24-29_

When Ember woke, it was to the howls of demons. Vivian was lying next to her, breathing quietly into her neck. Ember cursed, groggily scrambling to her feet, her eyes barely able to open. The sun was only just beginning to rise up over the horizon, painting the sky a brilliant golden hue. And yet dark clouds were bunching up above them, signaling that it was about to rain. As Ember adjusted her shirt, which had crumpled as she had tossed and turned during the night, she saw that Sakhlam was already up, standing next to her still sleeping mother. He blinked wearily, giving her a tired nod before looking back at the sunrise.

The group had ended up staying on a moderately high hill, a few hundred meters or so away from the forest. Normally they would have gone for a hotel, but if Springtrap was coming after them, Ember had no desire to put innocent civilians at risk. Ember lightly nudged Vivian with her foot, her best friend mumbling softly before her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"C'mon, Viv. Something's going down." Vivian rubbed her eyes sleepily, blinking in confusion.

"Huh?" Vivian mumbled but accepted Ember's offered hand, allowing herself to be pulled up to her feet. "Uh. Thanks—what's going on?"

"Demons howling in the woods," Sakhlam explained as he woke Ember's mother in a similar manner. "Chances are that they know where we are."

"Fuck," Vivian cursed loudly. "Could we get away fast enough?"

"Not likely," Ember said. "Springtrap raised Avaren; he isn't going to be going for any demons less powerful. They'll be just as strong as him, if not more. They're probably already headed for us if how loud the howls were was any indication."

"So we're making a stand?" Vivian asked. "Right here? On this hill?"

"We'll see in a bit," Sakhlam answered. "If Springtrap is summoning demons, we'll need to stop the rituals. If he's created a rift? We need to destroy the source."

"If he's opened a rift," Ember said, "it'll be in the woods. Freddy's is too obvious, and the woods are large. Plus, there are plenty of Demonites who could be persuaded to help him in the fight."

"You forget, Ember, that there also several who would gladly align against Springtrap," Sakhlam pointed out. "And since we are going against Springtrap, they may be willing to align with us."

"And so that leaves us with what, five demons against Springtrap's who _knows_ how many?" Ember said in frustration. "Heck, even if Avaren decides to go against Springtrap, for whatever reason, we're still fucked. He's got the Harbingers on his side too. There's a _chance_ , not a large one, but there is a chance we can beat his demons. But the Harbingers? Fuck that. Conquest, Famine, War and Death, all in the same town? We're not surviving that. There's no fucking way we could, and you know it."

"You are unfortunately correct," Sakhlam muttered as Ember's mother managed to haul herself up. "Our chances against the Horsemen and their minions are… not optimistic. Famine alone possesses a vast array of minions that will fight for him. I'd prefer to not have to find out what the tricks the others have at their disposal."

"The demons will be doing this for a reason," Ember said, wracking her brain furiously. "Springtrap must have incentivized them with something. Something they want or need."

"Or perhaps they're returning the favor," Vivian said. "If Springtrap really pulled them out of the Spiritual Realm, they'll be wanting to pay him back, right?"

"Maybe," Ember admitted, "but these are _demons_. I doubt that of the number he's summoned, there wouldn't be a few who'd willingly brush off his favor to them. It's unlikely they'd be doing whatever he wants for something they'd just see as trivial. I don't doubt that if Springtrap has something, it's something extremely important."

"Their motivations aside," Sakhlam said, "how are we going to deal with them? The others will be easy to call here, but against so many demons, it's unlikely that they'll be of much use."

"Oh, that's easy," Ember said. "We just isolate them, take them down one by one."

"Or we could just give them whatever it is they want from Springtrap," Vivian suggested. "Surely that's a valid option—if they have no reason to go after us, then why would they listen to Springtrap any further?"

"We could employ both methods," Sakhlam suggested. "We demons focus on Springtrap's minions, whilst you humans deal with Springtrap himself, and potentially close the rift. Springtrap will likely be carrying his incentive on hand; the moment they try to take it from him; he could likely destroy it if he wanted to."

"So we're settled then?" Ember asked. "Me, Vivian, and… Mom, we close the rift and deal with Springtrap. You guys take care of the demons?"

"Yes," Sakhlam said. "I will also attempt to establish an alliance with the more… likeminded… of the Demonites."

"You go do that then," Ember agreed. "Alright, everyone else, I guess we'll head for the woods." Vivian nodded. Her mother shrugged. "Cool. Good luck, Sakhlam. Keep 'em busy."

"We shall," he said with a tooth filled grin, before walking down the hill. Ember and her group did the same, though they instead set off towards the woods. It was time to take the rabbit man down.

 **xXx**

"This is a problematic situation," Malech gurgled, his tail dragging behind him in the dirt. The bladed segmented appendage was scything through the dirt like a dagger through water, leaving a thin trail indented into the ground. Wherever he went, he left unrested earth and uprooted grass in his wake. "Though I must admit that I expected something to happen eventually, I never believed that it would be this… complicated." Beside him, Sighard snorted as he dragged his oversized limbs through the dirt, though it came out sounding more like a guttural growl.

"Springtrap was always going to be a problem one day," the sloth dog said. "As was Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. It is an establishment haunted by decades of loss and tragedy. Something was inevitably going to come out of there, one way or another. That place is filled to the very brim with roaming spirits."

Ahead of the five demons were the woods, dark and only just now being hit by the very first rays of golden daylight. From their position, they could see no Demonites roaming between the trees, but that was to be expected. They would not be emerging until something important enough to care about came to their attention.

Galhater ceased the incessant beating of his enormous wings, resting himself in between Sighard and Sakhlam.

"That place has an extremely aberrant amount of deaths," the dragonfly noted, buzzing emitting alongside every syllable. "But no bodies, surprisingly. There's a possibility that they've been hidden, or moved, but I haven't got a clue."

"Whatever it was," Sakhlam cut in, "Springtrap had something to do with it. He is not the worst spirit I have ever met, but he is one tied strongly to death—that much is definitely true. I have come across many spirits, and he must be one of the deadliest. Not only that, but his kill count is… while not admirable, definitely noteworthy."

"There must be a reason why he is so powerful now," Kronyc remarked, traveling on the ground with the rest of them. He used his hooked talons to gouge into the dirt, bulling himself along and keeping from being dragged along the ground with his two legs. "Even murderous spirits are not so powerful without something granting them strength. Perhaps he has discovered a powerful artefact, maybe even a collection?"

"We already know that he is likely already using an artefact as an incentive," Sakhlam agreed. "But I doubt that he would give up something granting him power to _demons_. He's either bluffing or perhaps he has something else. Maybe even both."

"He possesses a collection, then," Sighard concluded. "Although, nothing immediately comes to mind when thinking of artefacts which could grant him more power."

"Blood rituals?" Malech suggested. "I believe you said that Ember was using such, Kronyc?"

"Yes," the bat confirmed. "If she is able to do so, Springtrap should be able to as well. It would be no problem for him; all he would need is an altar or basin, and a victim, reluctant or otherwise. We already know that he was willing to attack a school bus full of children in order to retrieve sacrifices for his rituals. Blood rituals wouldn't be much further down the descent to Hell." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Who am I kidding? He's destined to burn whether he likes it or not."

"Perhaps," Galhater began, "we should get on with dealing with his demons?"

"Agreed," Sakhlam said. "Let us move on Springtrap's… army, I suppose. The more time we buy for Ember, the sooner the rift can be closed."

"Aye!" Sighard exclaimed. "Do we kill, or merely incapacitate?"

"Do not hesitate to kill," Sakhlam suggested. "Incapacitate them, and they will only return with their rage tenfold."

The demons fell silent as they reached the shadow of the tree line. The woods were silent; no Demonites ran between the trees, no demons howled. The birds the only living creatures in sight, and even they refused to sing their songs. The bugs and the creeping things had retreated into the trees and under the ground, where they would be disturbing no man nor devil until Famine raised them once more to do his bidding. Wordlessly, the assembled demons scattered. Though they remained within a short distance of one another, they concealed themselves appropriately, Sighard slinking into the shadows, Malech slowly allowing himself to sink into the earth. Kronyc and Galhater took flight, leaving Sakhlam the only one still on the ground. The demon plodded forward undaunted, well aware that his allies were remaining close by. They had discussed this earlier, after all.

As Sakhlam continued to walk, the airborne demons continued to fly, and Sakhlam and Malech slunk through the shadows and under the earth, the voices emerged. Some loud, some shrill, others quiet and controlled and the remaining ones boisterous and foolhardy. The Envy demon clawed at the earth on the spot, squinting into the shadows. Within the darkness, on the very edge of his vision, was a light. Flickering shades of orange, red and yellow dancing around a figure of blackened bone and skeletal structure. The transitional demon's head was a typical Demonite's, though the horns were shorter and blunted at the edges, and the teeth were sharper and jagged. The demon's eyeholes had been enlarged, the very edges giving way to small cracks which ran down from the eyes to the jaw like stains of tear tracks. And yet, demons did not cry. As Sakhlam stared, he realized that he recognized this demon.

 _Talaseh._

Trotting alongside Talaseh was a perverted image of a wild boar. Large spikes of white bone grew along its spine, which curved abnormally across its back in an unnatural arch. Its tusks were long and curved like an elephant's, the ends barbed with serrated teeth. A single breath from the boar's mouth, and a large puff of smoke billowed out in a rolling cloud. Its eyes ignited with pleasure, seemingly pleased. He recognized this one too.

 _Pagimyud._

Even further behind the two was an enormous arachnid—some unholy combination of a scorpion and a tarantula, covered from head to tail with thick brown fur. Its barbed tail was looming over its head in a typical scorpion's pose, venom dripping from the appendage every second, landing on the scorpion's back, where it sizzled uselessly before it expired. Though the demon was small in size, especially when one compared it to others, Sakhlam made a mental note to watch out for that one; he knew how dangerous the smaller demons could be in the heat of a battle. No one made sure to watch out for the little ones. He mentally moved the scorpion up his list of priorities to take out, trying to ignore how he felt, preparing to kill demons he'd once known as friends and acquaintances. After all, they were going to be fighting for Springtrap, were they not? They had to be eliminated.

 _Shiyudah._

Though he could not see the fourth demon, he knew it was there, from the way the trees above them rustled along with them, wherever they went. He would have struggled to kill other demons, but these? Though they had been kind, they were power-hungry as well. And they wanted whatever Springtrap had. They would be going after Ember, and… and he couldn't allow that, now, could he?

No.

That wouldn't do at all.

Sakhlam strode forward in smooth steps, traversing the uneven ground of dirt, rocks and tree roots without issue. Though he did not attempt to mask his presence, neither did he immediately draw attention to himself. Talaseh and the other demons had failed to notice his arrival.

They would pay the proper price for their ignorance.

Sakhlam increased his speed, changing his stride to a run, then a full out sprint, dust and stones flying out in a rising cloud behind him. Talaseh turned and noticed him first, their head jerking back in surprise before they rushed to the side to avoid his charge. They had no time to warn the others.

Sakhlam struck Pagimyud in the side, faster than the boar could react. Though the force of the blow was not enough to propel the demon into the air, it fell on its side almost instantly, squealing loudly as its eyes flared up. The scorpion-spider, Shiyudah, leaped onto Sakhlam's back with practiced eased, eight appendages encircling his torso and its ninth pulling back to ram its pointed end into his skull. Sighard burst out of the darkness of the trees, exiting the dimension of shadows like a bird bursting out of the water. His enormous paw clamped around Shiyudah's tail, wrenching the demon off of Sakhlam before using its tail to slam it into a tree. The scorpion-spider fell to the ground before immediately springing back onto its eight legs.

Talaseh entered the fray, engulfed in burning flames. The demon swiped at Sakhlam's head, the demon retreating just in time to avoid the blow.

"Traitor!" Talaseh screeched as they clawed once more at empty air, Sakhlam moving out of the way of their attack.

"Talaseh!" Sakhlam cried, trying to reason with them. "Whatever Springtrap has promised you, he will not give it up! He is not a spirit who keeps to his word!"

"Filthy liar!" Talaseh roared at him before their talons finally found purchase on Sakhlam's scales, holding in place for a seconds before losing hold and bouncing uselessly against thick armor. "Springtrap released us from the Spiritual Realm without bindings; his word I trust over yours!" The flame enwreathed demon bounded forward, arms grappling around Sakhlam's neck and slipping in between his scales. Sakhlam howled as the other demon grinned as best as their skull allowed them too, plunging their talons deeper into his flesh and drawing blood.

The ground beneath their feet began to rise, Talaseh quick to leap backward as Malech unearthed himself, shielding Sakhlam with his body. Gurgling, the demon scuttled forward, smashing his enormous twin crab claws into the ground, barely missing Talaseh as they jumped to the left, raking their claws against Malech's armored shell with little to no effect. Sakhlam peered out from Malech's enormous body, his large throat beginning to pulse and gurgle. Talaseh was unable to avoid his next attack, as the demon's mouth opened, a mixture of water and blood shooting out in an unbroken stream. The surge of the horrific mixture crashed upon Talaseh like an unholy tidal wave of blood, the demon scrabbling backward in panic as their flame was temporarily put out. Sakhlam took the opportunity presented to him, rushing out from behind Malech and crashing into Talaseh as they began to get up. The demon tumbled over the dirt, dust rising up in a thin veil as they crashed against the ground.

A few meters away, Sighard struggled against Pagimyud, the boar's spikes and tusks now aflame, enwreathed by the same unholy fire enveloping Talaseh. Sighard's paws were both clamped around either of Pagimyud's tusks, the demon pushing back against the boar's attempts to advance upon him. With a squeal of protest, Pagimyud opened their mouth, a burst of fire washing over Sighard's flame redundant hide, achieving nothing apart from lightly tickling the demon's armpits. Sighard grinned, pulling Pagimyud's body over his head, then slamming back into the ground.

As the demon's arms came down, there was a sudden mixture of screaming and buzzing as two shapes rapidly fell towards the ground, wrestling each other for control. Down fell a bundle of claws, wings, and chitin, as Galhater fought against an enormous beetle, its eyes bulbous and wide, feet not six, but ten. Its wings were beating too fast to be seen by the naked eye, though any altitude it would have been gaining was immediately canceled out by Galhater's continued thrashing, his own wings beating not as fast, but made of a heavier material which battered the beetle's form with every beat. The two demons crashed down between Malech and Talaseh, the blackened skeleton taking the opportunity to retreat as flames began to enwreathe their body once more.

Kronyc swept down from on high, both fangs and all four wings enveloped by crimson energy. The bad screeched incessantly as he crashed into the thrashing pile of Galhater and the abnormal beetle, which began to spit up an unhealthy amount of dark green acid, burning dark trails in the deadwood on the forest floor. All four wings slammed into the beetle, the demon's form flung back into the trees.

As Kronyc and Galhater pursued the beetle, Sakhlam and Malech headed over to assist Sighard, who was being swarmed in enemies. Sakhlam released another bout of bloodied water, forcing Shiyudah off of the demon's arm as they crawled up it, and separating Talaseh from Pagimyud. The boar opened its maw, releasing another stream of fire towards the two demons, though Sakhlam hid behind Malech's armored body, rendering the attack useless. Sighard battered the boar away, grasping Talaseh by the ankle and dragging them with him into the shadows of the trees.

While Sighard dealt with Talaseh, Sakhlam and Malech switched their focus towards Pagimyud, the boar bulking up its muscles as flames coursed through its veins. Tusks and feet aflame, the demon charged towards the two with great force, footsteps thundering, head lowered to strike with the greatest effectiveness. Malech stood his ground, casually turning to the side to allow his tail to slam into the boar's side. Pagimyud was struck to the right as the trio of winged demons entered the area once more, Galhater and Kronyc crashing down onto the beetle full force. Galhater's bladed forelimbs swung against the beetle's shell, cracking the chitin and allowing for Kronyc to batter the shards aside with his still glowing wings. The beetle cried out as it was thrown into a tree, its injured side making the impact.

Sighard emerged from the shadows, Talaseh still in his clutches. He threw the demon into the air, allowing Galhater to latch onto them and ram them into the ground. Dust rose around the source of the impact, the enormous dragonfly withdrawing after Talaseh's flames had grown too fierce. Malech grunted as he felt Shiyudah's barbed tail clanging uselessly against his armored shell. The scorpion-spider dodged his claw as it brushed against his head, leaping over the appendage onto Sakhlam, legs scrabbling to find purchase against the demon's scales before the barb made it down onto his neck, though it barely penetrated his flesh. Sakhlam roared, rushing to the nearest tree and jumping to the side, allowing his back to hit the tree, Shiyudah still on it. The demon jumped before they could be crushed, scrabbling up the tree and falling through the air, landing onto Pagimyud. The boar was currently being harassed by Galhater, who promptly dashed away as the scorpion-spider landed on the boar's back. Shiyudah jumped, narrowly missing Galhater's body as the dragonfly flew upwards, presumably to launch an attack from above.

Talaseh and the beetle fought back against Sighard and Kronyc. The flaming demon latched onto Kronyc's back, digging their claws into the bat's flesh. Kronyc screeched, the crimson energy surrounding his wings pulsing outwards in an enormous wave. The wave slammed the demons away, as Galhater dropped out of the sky and embedded his two bladed appendages into the beetle's back. The beetle flapped its wings uselessly, only succeeding in pushing Galhater's blades deeper into its back. Shiyudah leaped onto Galhater's face, blinding the dragonfly and pulling their tail back. The dragonfly stubbornly withdrew its blades from the beetle, smashing headfirst into the ground and crushing two of the scorpion-spider's legs. It let out a horrific squeal, venom spurting out of its open wounds, splashing onto two of Galhater's wings. The demon buzzed loudly, half crawling, half flying away as his wings began to burn. Sakhlam, ever vigilant, crushed Shiyudah underneath his foot before the demon could escape.

The demon's body exploded, an enormous mushroom cloud of purple gas and venom bursting from their remains. The enormous tidal wave of venom washed over every demon, every plant and tree in its vicinity. The gas collected around the ground, too heavy to lift up further. As the forest burned around them, Talaseh grabbed Kronyc by the wings, only to be beaten off. Talons were hooked through Talaseh's eye sockets, slowly pulling apart the demon's skull. The flames didn't both Kronyc in the slightest, his wings still protected by the energy. A part of the demon's skull cracked. A spider web of destruction expanded, from the eyes to the jaw to the back of the head.

Pagimyud rammed Kronyc away before he could do more, though the boar was promptly tackled to the ground by Sighard, once again leaping out of the shadows. Sakhlam released another bout of blood, drenching Talaseh and the still unrecovered beetle. Noticing the fallen demon, Malech grabbed the beetle between his pincers, before crushing the shell as effortlessly as a man would tear through paper. The two severed halves of the beetle fell to the ground, though its corpse did not explode like Shiyudah's. Instead, two wormlike creatures emerged from its stomach, wriggling weakly before being crushed under Malech's heavy tail.

Pagimyud, cuts running up and down their body, kneeled down, limbs no longer able to sustain their weight. Malech beared down upon them, but Sighard shook his head.

"There is no need to kill the last two," he said. "Talaseh tries anything before they heal, and their skull shatters at the tiniest mistake. Pagimyud can't even walk."

"The other two are already dead."

"Then do we really need these two dead as well?"

"Ember would do it," Malech protested.

"Then why did she spare us?" Sighard asked, already knowing that Malech would not be able to answer. The demon cursed, settling down on the ground.

"What are we supposed to do with them?"

"Well—"

"Maybe you could talk about us as if we were _actually here_." Sakhlam was surprised to hear Pagimyud speak, but the boar had been silent for so long that talking had been an inevitability.

"Finally feel like talking?" Malech asked mockingly. "Took your time there."

"You and yours attacked us without reason," the demon spat accusingly. "Attacked from the shadows. Ambushed us."

"And you are collaborating with Springtrap," Malech replied just as harshly. "For an artefact."

"You know not what he has offered," Pagimyud, spouted. "The Book of Belial itself!"

"A copy, surely," Sighard scoffed.

"Perhaps," the boar admitted, "but it stays true. Do you realize what possessing it would mean, to us? To all demons?"

"Yes," Sakhlam said drily. "It would put a target on your back. For the next person who wants that book to aim at." Pagimyud glared at him, but made no notion to rebuke him. "And what makes you think that Springtrap would actually give you the book? The Book of Belial holds great power, and he knows that; what's to say that he isn't just using you, before tossing you back into the Lake of Fire?"

"He swore—" Pagimyud began, but Sakhlam swiftly interrupted them.

"He swore and lost nothing. He has you all in the palm of his hand, and the moment you are no longer useful, he will hunt you, track you down, and return you to the pit."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Pagimyud grunted. "The first time multitudes of demons have been given hope in years, and we should return home empty-handed?"

"I was going to suggest that you simply hide," Sakhlam admitted, "but Springtrap would find you anyway." Pagimyud laughed, seeming to understand what he was getting to.

"You want us to join your band of merry folk," the demon chortled. "Find Springtrap, destroy him. Do you know how many other demons he has raised? Blakstek, Ignikra, Hallibohr… some of the greatest. To them, we would be nothing but tiny, squiggling worms, like the two little shits inside of Shalgohk—the beetle, that is. We have no hope. Springtrap has plans, knowledge, influence, power… you think we could destroy _him_?" Pagimyud snorted. "If so, then you are a fool."

"Better to die a fool than a coward," Sakhlam refuted them, but Pagimyud remained stubborn.

"I cannot speak for us all. Talaseh speaks not, lest their skull crumbles to ashes, but they have their opinions. These, however, are my own. We cannot win a war against Springtrap. Not against a spirit of such high power, especially armed the way he is now. He claims to have found a higher calling—a madman, he is, but not a foolish one. He uses his knowledge, he bides his time and has reasons for everything he does. I have watched him butcher and slaughter men, women and children. Tortured innocents, kill his own allies out of spite. But in the end, every action, every foul thing, has had a purpose. And these purposes, they are great and glorious. You cannot stop them."

"Then how did he raise you?" Sakhlam asked in frustration. "He must have used something; a conduit, an artefact—what was it?" Pagimyud looked him in the eye, then sighed.

"There was… an altar. And on it, there was an idol."

"An idol? As in, a false one?"

"Yes," the boar confirmed. "Made out of gold which Springtrap has taken himself. Melted down from coins and jewelry from his victims." Sakhlam felt shivers down his spine.

"It's a calf, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Like the one made by the Israelites. When Moses went up to Mount Sinai. _That_ calf?"

"What else?" Pagimyud retorted. "The calf is not a symbol of demons, true—and yet it was a false idol against the heavens. Gods and demons, both require belief to exist. Without belief, there can be nothing. But when Springtrap created the calf, and the demons and the Demonites, we believed. And so Eggel Hazahav was born. A new creation, a new idol, ruling above demons."

"Another king of demons?" Malech looked at the others, the implications of Pagimyud's words still sinking in. "Why did we nor hear of this?"

"Eggel Hazahav wanted to ease in slowly. To not disrupt the demons. However, considering that he is paying back Springtrap for creating him by supporting him in his endeavors…"

"He'll be sending more demons," Kronyc muttered. Galhater was crawling back now, wings not yet completely healed and still hanging in tatters at the frames.

"Not only that," Pagimyud said, not noticing the dragonfly's arrival. "I know little of Eggel Hazahav, but… he is capable of building things. Great things, greater than the greatest of architects could even dream of. And to further repay Springtrap, he is… building him a machine, of sorts."

"And what will the machine do?" Galhater piped up. Everyone turned to the dragonfly, who shrugged as best as he could. "Good ears. Heard everything."

"Springtrap did not say outright," Pagimyud answered. "But… are you aware of Scrap? His subordinate?"

"Yes," Sakhlam confirmed. "The one who looks like a peanut."

"That one, yes. I believe, from the information available to me, that Springtrap is planning to bring similar beings to himself into existence."

"You mean… cloning himself?"

"No," Pagimyud said irritably. "Scrap is, as far as I am aware, a version of Springtrap from another Plane of reality. An alternate universe, if you would."

"So he's bringing multiple versions of himself into this universe? Equally murderous and psychopathic ones?" Sakhlam asked in horror.

"One," Pagimyud began before wheezing and starting again. "One would presume. Eggel Hazahav could likely influence it, one way or another."

"How do we deal with this?" Sakhlam asked the others.

"We let Ember know," Sighard suggested. "Tell her so that she can destroy the machine."

"The odds of such a venture succeeding are not on our side," Sakhlam admitted reluctantly. It would be possible, yes, but not probable."

"Then we can do nothing," Kronyc sighed. "Prepare the town as best we can. Infiltrating Springtrap's defenses is practically suicide at this point." The bat froze. "Shit. That's what Ember is trying to do right now."

"You're right," Sakhlam said, his tone panicked. "Do we stop her?"

"And blow her cover?" Galhater asked. "She ends up dead either way."

"So then we wait. Watch her. And when she gets in trouble, we cover her escape." Sighard snorted at the suggestion, Malech rising to his feet.

"This, right here? This is madness. You all speak of running into a heavily populated camp full of demons, with only five of us, whilst Galhater can't even fly. No. We are _not_ doing this." At their glares, the sloth dog sighed. "I like Ember as much as you do. But honestly, we can't afford to do this. This will only end with all of us dead."

"Then you all can help defend the town," Sakhlam grumbled. "Release the two of them, convince as many Demonites as you can to help us against Springtrap. I will go for Ember."

"You will die, if you try that," Sighard said. "You can't."

"If I die, so be it. If I die a fool? Well…"

"Better to die a fool than die a coward," Pagimyud murmured, echoing Sakhlam's words from before.

"Very well. Go, help Rodman. Let us leave." The demons began to move, Kronyc allowing the now healed Talaseh to move, Pagimyud wearily rising from the ground. Sighard regarded Sakhlam one last time, the fish demon giving him a nod. A smile of razor-sharp teeth. The sloth dog chuckled.

"Strength, and good faith. Survive, brother."

"I intend to," the Envy demon replied, looking Sighard in the eyes. The sloth dog paused, as if to say something, but shook his head and turned, leaving Sakhlam alone.

When he was finally alone, the fish demon sat down, legs splayed out. He close his eyes, and for the first time, the demon prayed to the Father.

 **xXx**

It was raining by the time Sakhlam began to move again. The dark clouds rolled overhead, pouring down upon the trees in a torrential stream of droplets. The Envy demon grunted, steadily rising to his feet. Raindrops fell upon his back, sliding down his scales until they hit the floor. Rain was not a bother to Sakhlam; it was a friend. Useful, a problem for his enemies; and it felt like home. The ocean. Water in general.

Only so many could say such. Most demons, like Talaseh and Pagimyud, had a strong affinity to fire, but Sakhlam had dwelled in the oceans long before coming on land. He was, in a sense, a true sea monster. Compared to the vast expanse of the ocean, the worst of rainstorms was a small shower.

It was already dark; he had no delusions that this would help him hide his presence. Although their group had caught Talaseh and the others off guard, Springtrap had so many demons that at least a few were bound to have incredibly enhanced senses. It was just the way the world worked. There were a few demons he was aware of who would know notice him within a mile of their range. If Springtrap had any of those, he was doomed already. And there would be nothing left to do except keep moving.

One foot in front of the other, Sakhlam walked through the trees and the shadows, still no sign of life. Behind him, the trees caught in the radius of Shiyudah's explosion still smoldered despite the rain, stubbornly refusing to be put out. Tongues of purple smoke still trailed upwards in serpentine spirals, though no flame was in sight. Shiyudah's venom was far more potent than he had estimated, then. The serpents would not be leaving any time soon. Looking into the smog, he thought he could see a face, twisted and distorted, screaming for help. Sakhlam tore his eyes away from the tongues of smoke, continuing to walk. There were more important things to worry about.

He was the last of the demons whom Ember had befriended, and yet he also the one she was closest to. He had not returned to the Spiritual Realm after meeting her. He had stayed by her side because what they wanted was the same. Demons had never needed to screw up the world; that much he had always known. True, he had contributed at some point, out of blind ignorance. A refusal to acknowledge the destruction he was wreaking upon the world, killing the marine life the way he did. If someone had asked him whether he felt remorse a year ago, he likely would have killed them, simply for asking a question like that. But now? The remorse weighed him down as if he had a boulder tied to his back. He felt it. He felt it always.

He wondered, sometimes, why Ember had ever bothered to befriend demons. Avaren had murdered her father. There was absolutely no reason for her to even wonder whether demons would spare her, or accept her friendship. What had made that happen?

Or had it not been her at all? Perhaps a voice at the back of her head, whispering silently into her ear, influencing her in the subtlest of ways?

Sakhlam knew that the voice affected her, no matter what it was that Ember would say. There was no possibility that she could just shrug it off; and he knew that she'd talked to it in full. She had shut herself into that darkened room for minutes. She'd thought that no one would know. But he knew. The moment she walked out of her house and looked at something which wasn't there. Something in her head. The reason why she had those wings, why she bled black, why she healed faster than any mortal. Her demon blood. The failed ritual.

Sakhlam had spoken to Avaren once, after he had visited Ember. When she had been asleep on the hill with Vivian and her mother, the reptilian demon had crawled up the side of the hill. It had been the crack of dawn, the sun only just peeking out over the horizon. Its rays had yet to reach the forest. Sakhlam had been awake, seen Avaren climbing.

"Sakhlam," he'd greeted, raising an arm to show that he was approaching with no intent of harm. "How are you all?"

"Without a home," Sakhlam had admitted, laughing bitterly. "What are you doing here, Avaren, come to have a laugh? To gloat? Get a front-row seat to our deaths? Kill us yourself, even?"

"Your imagination runs wild, Sakhlam," the demon had sighed. "I am of Mammon yes, but I have no need to take more than what is necessary. I have no desire to kill you, nor have I any wish to see any of you dead."

"Then you should leave," Sakhlam had grunted back to him. "Go, before Ember wakes up. You know what will happen if she sees you."

"Yes," Avaren had admitted. "She will have questions. I imagine that she and her other had an interesting chat." Sakhlam had perked up at that, surprised.

"You are aware of the other, then?" he'd asked.

"I was there when it came into existence," the demon had pointed out before peering behind Sakhlam's body to look at Ember. "It was... an intriguing sight. Truly a night to remember. There were flames and shadows, and from her back, they'd just… split open her skin. Blades tearing into her from the inside. Inner torment, I suppose. She likely feels like that all the time." He'd turned back to look at Sakhlam then, sighing knowingly. "But these are things you already know. You know she felt. You know what she thought she saw."

"Then what did she see?" Sakhlam had asked him. "What did happen to her, that night?"

"Telling you that… it is not my place. I would be interfering, no matter how any of you saw it." The demon had sounded resigned, his shoulders slumped. "And yet, I suspect that the other will not tell her for quite some time. Maybe you should know." He'd sat down all of a sudden, resting on the grass and patting the space beside him. "Sit with me, Sakhlam," he'd said, inviting the other demon. Sakhlam had been skeptical, but he'd sat down with Avaren anyway, watching the sunrise send rays of light over the town.

Avaren had said nothing for quite some time, and Sakhlam had not tried to force him to. These things were hard to say, he'd mused to himself. Sometimes, things were just too hard to admit. He wondered then, how bad it was going to be. But whatever his expectations had been, Avaren's words were worse.

"I am a demon of Greed," the reptile had said. "A servant of Mammon. It is typical for mortals to think of us all as… greedy. Wanting for riches that men could only dream of. And yet, this is almost never the case. In my case, my greed, the pleasure I always sought to acquire… it was justice." Sakhlam had not shown his reaction, but on the inside, the turmoil was great. "Yes," Avaren had continued, chuckling a little. "I'm aware of how that must sound. Someone like me, a demon, only wanting justice. And yet it is true. Books said that I killed; that was true. But I chose my targets for one reason; their own greed. And when their greed began to harm others around them, I would step in." The demon had paused, looking down at his hands. "But one day, I missed one of them. A man, living his wife and young daughter. His wife was out of town, you see, and the man, he was both greedy and lustful. He longed for sex, and so… well, there was only one person in his house." Sakhlam had closed his eyes, taking a shuddering breath.

 _Shit_.

"So one night, while his wife was out of town, the man went into his daughter's room in the middle of the night." Avaren had stopped for a while, then continued on. "She… she didn't even scream. She didn't understand, even thought that what was happening… that it was normal. That it happened to every girl her age. And with every day the wife wasn't at home, the girl, would wake up in the middle of the night, and her father would be there." The demon had shaken his head. "And the wife… when she came back, she never found out. The man told his daughter that… that they were playing a game. That her mother wasn't supposed to know, and so she listened. Kept it quiet. Her mother never knew.

"One day, the man went down to his basement, and prepared a summoning ritual, for a demon. A Greed demon." Avaren had turned to Sakhlam then, a glint of _something_ in his eye. "I hijacked the summoning," he'd said. "I rode it, stopped the other demon. I appeared in his basement instead. And the man didn't stand a chance. I _enjoyed_ killing him. I relished in his greed as I tore him apart limb from limb. I… I ate him. Devoured him, ruptured his insides. But I…ah. I made a mistake." The demon had sighed. "His daughter arrived in the basement, woken by the noise. She saw me do it. Watched me kill her father. And she thought I'd done it out of cold blood, when I'd done it for her." He'd smiled then, just a little. "The irony of that still gets me,"

"Shit." Sakhlam had shook his head, still trying to comprehend what Avaren was saying. "So the things she remembers…"

"They're barely true," he'd confirmed. "The other altered her memories and removed some. Of the nights when he visited, when she summoned me, they changed those memories and took them. I'm grateful to them for that much, making it less painful for her. Her mother… She, she found out, after that. When she was changing her daughter's bedsheets, she—she saw the stains." Avaren had grimaced, closing his eyes. "She never said anything, because her girl… her girl didn't know, and she didn't want her to."

"Fuck. Oh…oh hell. Fuck. FUCK!" Sakhlam had sworn, his screams reduced to hoarse whispers as he attempted to contain the noise, his anger still managing to project itself. "That, that fucking bastard!" Outraged, he had turned to Avaren, that anger still boiling up inside her.

"You know that she'll find out eventually," he'd said after a few deep breaths. "About her father. About the visits, what he did—fuck. What he did to her. You know she'll find out." Avaren had snorted, shaking his head.

"You don't have to be so bloody cautious about it," he'd said. "Ember Rodman's father was a weak, cowardly disgrace of a human being, who fucked his daughter when his wife wasn't around to notice." He'd narrowed his eyes, then, analyzing Sakhlam. "Those are the fucking facts. Those are the facts she'll find out, the facts that she'll be told. And here's another fact for you, Sakhlam, while we're at it." He'd lain back on the grass, to watch the sunrise at a better angle. Tail swishing silently in the grass, brushing over stems and flowers and tiny insects. "When she finds out—when, not if—it will break her. She won't know what to do. She'll be lost, uncertain." He'd shifted onto his side, to stare at the Envy demon once more. "Look, Ember will need someone. Someone to look after her when she isn't sure what to do. I'm not saying that has to be you—it could be anyone. But fuck, Sakhlam, that girl… that girl will need support, and you need to make sure she gets it, whether you're the one to lend it to her, or you're the one who just makes sure she stays alive. You understand?"

He'd nodded once, yes, and Avaren had responded in kind. The reptile stood up, the grass now flat against the earth where his body had lain. He stayed there for a moment, watching the rising sun. Sakhlam had stood too, standing next to him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" the Greed demon had asked, and Sakhlam had nodded again.

"Yes," he'd said. "There's nothing quite like a sunrise." Avaren had given him a look of acknowledgment, before turning back and peering at Ember for a second or two. He'd torn his eyes away from her, staring at the sunset once more. Sakhlam has noticed his hand clenched into a tight fist.

"When Springtrap makes his move," he'd said, "make sure that Ember gets to see another sunrise. Don't let her die."

"I don't plan on it," Sakhlam had said, and Avaren had chuckled darkly. "She will live. I give you my word."

"Then strength and good faith, brother," the demon had said, and as he'd trudged down the hill, Sakhlam had stared after him, until the rising sun had illuminated both their scales, sending off rays of light in various directions as they bounced off the reflective surfaces. Avaren had not looked back. It had been when he'd vanished over the hills that Sakhlam had heard the first of the howls. And then Ember had stirred.

Ember had been after Avaren's scaled hide ever since her father had been torn into pieces before her eyes. Her rage had only been exemplified when Avaren had burst out of the hurricane of flames encircling that pentagram, mocking her and her father, drawing upon every weakness he knew she had. And he'd done it all for the sake of playing a role, so that whichever story she went with, it would be the one which hurt the least. Because being the villain did not bother Avaren in the slightest. The demon craved only one thing, and that was justice. And when it mattered, Avaren would be there with them, helping them destroy Springtrap and his army.

But as powerful as Avaren was, there were several other factors in play. Factors and players unknown until today. The other host of demons Springtrap had raised. Eggel Hazahav, the Golden Calf and the newest king of demons. And the device which he was creating for Springtrap, which Pagimyud suspected to be a door to other worlds. So many variables couldn't be predicted or controlled. All Sakhlam knew about Eggel Hazahav was that he had been created by Springtrap out of melted gold, that he was indebted to the spirit, and that he led a faction of demons of unknown danger. Whether they followed the call of Avarice, Lust or Vainglory, they were bound to be dangerous when under the direct command of a king of demons. They could not be taken lightly; that much he was aware of. Even a small collection of minor demons could be ruthlessly effective when under proper command. And kings of demons were anything but foolish rulers. Cold, calculating, willing to throw away lives by the handfuls if it meant greater efficiency.

Springtrap had a demon king on his side. And Ember was attempting to sneak into his camp, with two others. There was no way that this would end well. No, she was on a suicide mission, and Sakhlam had a promise to fulfill. To a demon he'd thought of for so long to be a monster, cruel and heartless. And yet he had been the opposite. He'd done everything for one reason, and that was to ensure that Ember was hurt as little as possible. And for that, Sakhlam respected Avaren as much as he'd once respected Ember's determination to kill said demon.

 _What will she think, when she finds out? When she realises that all of the hatred she's fostered for him should have been directed towards the one she thought to be innocent?_

He'd known what Avaren had meant when he'd said it would break her. Her entire world would fall apart. Ember had begun hunting demons because she'd been trying to honor her father, taking up his profession. Killing and slaying, making demons like Avaren bleed. It said something about her character that rather than following her father's method step by step, she'd forged her own way of dealing with things. She'd asked before killing, extended offers of friendship before giving up. Sakhlam had known that she was a different kind of human the moment he'd been summoned into her basement; she'd been a young girl, wielding a weapon that easily could have ended him had she chosen to, and yet she'd had no desire to kill him. She'd just wanted him to stop. By the time she'd summoned him, she hadn't been done with the idea of killing demons without negotiations beforehand, but she'd had doubts about those ideas, the methods her father had burnt into her mind. For all that Ember had called him incredible, Sakhlam was glad that Avaren had ended his life.

Then there was the case of her mother, who'd discovered that her daughter had been raped by her husband, but had done nothing. Asked no questions. She'd found out because she was changing the bedsheets, Avaren had said to him. Completing a boring, mundane chore, and then she'd found the stains. He could sympathize with her, he really could. That must have shocked her to her core. And yet doing nothing was never the answer. He decided, then, that he would not kill her, would _not_ break her skull open, spill her blood and brains onto unstained soil and trample her body with his clawed feet until she was a mangled, bloody pile of flesh. Because whilst that would give him satisfaction, it would achieve nothing. He chose, instead, to trust that Ember would deal with the matter the best she could, whether her mother suffered or not. And as for the other?

Well, they'd done nothing wrong yet, had they?

It was well past noon when Sakhlam found Springtrap, and a sight to behold it was. For atop a surprisingly well-constructed tower of felled trees and earthen stones was the rabbit himself, dancing limply and displaying his madness to the hundreds of demons and Demonites surrounding him. By the foot of the tower was Scrap, Springtrap's endlessly faithful servant, and possible alternate self. But those were not what caught Sakhlam's eye. Neither was it the flaming pits surrounding the tour, crackling with burning wood and leaves. It was the girl joining the mad spirit as he danced atop his tower of heaven. Her face was burnt and bruised beyond recognition, her hair cut and torn, and partially within the grip of the animatronic's fist as he leaped around, jolting her head with every movement. But if there was _anything_ which distinguished Ember Rodman from the rest of humanity, it was the black wings sprouting from her back, now ripped and torn asunder, hanging by their bloody frames like meat left out to dry. Rope bound her body from below her breasts to her waist. Springtrap had allowed her to keep her shirt—he had given her that much dignity—but her legs were bare. Covered in dirt, sweat, and grime, but it was still the girl Sakhlam knew. Beaten within an inch of her life, but still breathing.

The spirit was speaking now, both to the crowds and to the girl whose hair was in his grasp.

 **"How does it feel?"** he asked, and Sakhlam felt his blood boiled at the sheer cockiness interwoven with Springtrap's words. **"To be beaten? To be broken? Every single bone, Ember Rodman. Every. Single. One."** The rabbit shook her, and even from his position a hundred feet away, Sakhlam heard the piercing cry of pain. He gnashed his teeth, restraining himself from leaping forward into the crowd of demons. Jumping in now would do no good; he had to wait for an opportunity.

 **"Even I wasn't this feisty at her age!"** Springtrap told the sea of demons with murderous glee. " **Sure, I got up to some naughty shit, worked my way through every single one of my dad's porn mags, but geez! You beat this girl, and you can practically _feel_ all that pleasure she's getting from it! Leaking before she even needed to go! Fuck, I could smell it and I ain't even got a working nose anymore!"** The rabbit leaned down, and though he made to whisper, his words still reached the ears of all of those around him. **"You fucking enjoyed it, didn't you, cunt? Didn't you?"** He thrust his hand towards the ground, and Ember screamed as she was pulled along with her hair into the wooden floor of the tower. **"It was pathetic, watching you. Absolutely pathetic. You didn't even hold out longer than your mother did. Now, that must been embarrassing. Out of the fight within a mere second! At least your pretty little mother survived long enough to club a demon in the head before she was ran through!"** The rabbit comically rested his chin on his knuckles, glaring down at Ember with sadistic glee. **"Now, watching her die, though? That was _fun_."** Ember bared her teeth at him, but Springtrap only chuckled at the sight.

 **"I must have hit a nerve,"** he said faux apologetically. **"Sorry there, Ember girl. Or should I call you Emmie?"** Every demon within range of the tower saw the girl's terrified expression, and it only made the spirit laugh harder. His frame was falling apart at the edges, and still the rabbit laughed. **"Oh, another nerve, there! You're really just _full_ of them today, aren't you, Emmie! I'm sure you'll enjoy it when I find your little girlfriend. I'm gonna make her _scream._ And you're gonna watch. Even if you don't want to."** Sakhlam sucked in a breath, closing his eyes momentarily. So even if her mother was dead, Vivian was still alive. That was slightly more promising than he'd expected. But still, not the best. Ember was in Springtrap's clutches, and they were surrounded by an ocean of demons and Demonites.

And that wasn't everything. The flaming pits—there were four of them, all standing apart from each other. And they were beginning to take shape. All of them, into slowly solidifying figures mounted on great steeds. The first of the Horsemen stepped out of the flames, and Springtrap halted his mocking commentary, staring into the flames.

The first figure was blinding white; he wore no armor, but any who tried to lay hands on him would have been unable to due to the sheer brightness emanating off of him. No bow could be aimed at him properly, no swords would glance upon him or his steed unless their owner was blind. His horse, though not sharing his brilliant radiance, was still purely white. In the Horseman's arms was a bow of light, an arrow already nocked and ready to fire at a moment's warning. The horse stepped out of the flames, and Conquest graced the earth with his presence.

Next out of the flames was a creature of fire itself, a steed of red hide and eyes aflame. It was covered with metallic armor from head to tail, though Sakhlam had no doubt that whatever that was made of, it was not of this earth. It was something from the heavens themselves. The horse whinnied, and a gout of flame burst from its nostrils as its rider came into view. To some, he would seem to be a regular man. No larger than the average human, his only garments a simple grey loincloth. His beard was coarse and filthy, body stained by crimson blood. A man who had killed, perhaps, but still mortal. But the sword he held in his hand told the truth; it was enormous, larger than his body, longer than his steed. It was least eight feet of metal, capable of killing any who were foolish enough to step into its path. That sword could not be held by a mere mortal. A normal man's arm would have been torn off his body upon grasping it, due to the pure weight of the weapon. No, this was War, the second and the Horsemen, and everyone knew it.

Out of the next pit came darkness and smog, and at once the insects of the forests began to stir like mad. Buzzing their wings and flying irregularly, the swarm of darkness descended from the sky upon the flames, the creeping things from below the earth crawling up out of the soil to join them. Famine emerged from the flames, cloak still wrapped around himself and his black horse even more damaged than before. Three of his thralls exited behind him, staying close, but not enough to be a disturbance or draw eyes away from him.

All eyes went to the final pit, and then there was a silence. A silence _felt_ , not just in sound, but spirit. For when the first hoof emerged, all in the area felt it. Even Springtrap himself appeared to be daunted by the sudden appearance of the fourth of the Harbingers. It was indescribable; Sakhlam felt nothingness. A hollow feeling, devoid of all light and happiness. The flames were extinguished, and the bugs and the creeping things were stilled. Not a single breath was drawn in by any of them. Another hoof hit the earth, then another, then another. Clip clop, clip-clop, when the sound, or so they thought, as the final Horseman emerged from the formerly flaming pit, now only a smoking memory of the enormous bonfire it had once been. The scythe was dragged along in the dirt, leaving an impeccably straight line in its wake. And all attendance, watched, looked, beheld a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, gathered together to destroy one measly town, with only one demon slayer. All in attendance, all here just to watch this spectacle. Springtrap stood once more, and though he was cowed by their presence, he remained as rambunctious as ever.

 **"Look, Emmie,"** he bellowed mockingly, **"the Harbingers themselves came here to see you! You should be grateful!"** The girl spat a curse at him, only earning a sharp blow to the face. **"Now, that's not how we talk to friends around here,"** the rabbit said warningly. **"Is it, Emmie? Huh?"**

"Springtrap," Famine said, rasping voice carrying through the crowds. "We were promised results."

 **"Ask, and you shall receive,"** the spirit returned giddily, throwing Ember to the floor. **"I have results. Another king of demons. A town rid of its slayer. Souls upon souls, for you to do whatever it is you please. Is this not enough for you, oh great Harbinger?"**

"You dare mock us?" War asked, his voice loud and enraged. "We? The Horsemen? We could crush you with our bare hands, or even without them."

 **"You and I both know that you lot wouldn't do that,"** Springtrap said. **"I have what you wanted. Come and get it, you mangy hounds."** Whilst War looked enraged by the spirit's words, the other Horsemen didn't seem to be bothered by the rabbit's behavior in the slightest.

"Calm yourself," Conquest suggested. "It is not worth taking up arms against the spirit."

"He disrespects us as if—"

"He will get his due," Death said coldly, and Sakhlam had to look away when the skeleton spoke, his figure shrouded in a cloud of darkness. His aura extended further than a few meters; with every word he spoke, it expanded like a balloon. "Listen to Conquest, and calm yourself. I am more interested in taking the town."

 **"Oh, you want the town? Go get the town!"** Springtrap called from the top of his tower. **"I want my machine, and then I'm done. I get that machine, while you take the town. And then I sweep out the ones too stubborn to die. Perfect plan."**

"As if that will actually work," War snorted, but Famine looked pensive.

"It isn't out of the question," he pointed out. "Whilst Springtrap readies the machine, we clear out the first of the townsfolk, or any defenders; and that's if the girl was smart enough to have any prepared." From the way Ember drooped at his words, Famine seemed to take that as confirmation that she hadn't. "Then if they put up too much resistance? Springtrap provides the reinforcements, and that will be the end of it."

"Do you really believe this madness?" War asked. "Truly? That we can just march into town without consequences? Even if the girl has no defenses prepared, her father will have. He had years before Avaren tore him apart."

"And he was also a fool," Conquest said harshly. "Only an idiot would believe that no one would find out about him boning his own daughter." The world seemed to freeze. Ember breathed none, expression pale, frozen, unbelieving. Sakhlam closed his eyes, and counted to ten.

 _Shit._

And still, no one spoke. Not a single soul dared to raise their voice. Famine looked at the girl atop the tower, and sighed.

"She didn't know, Conquest," he muttered. "You could have saved that."

"Saved it for what?" the white Horseman asked. "She'd broken. She won't be an issue anymore."

"Everyone seems to think that, these days," the Black Harbinger retorted. "And look how it ends for them. _In the grave_."

"It doesn't matter," Death said, breaking up their useless bickering. "Let us proceed to the town at once. I have no desire to allow the people any more time to possibly prepare for an assault."

"Fine," War grumbled. "We'll go. Keep your word, Springtrap."

 **"Oh, you know I will,"** the spirit said. **"Godspeed, Harbingers, you."** War snorted again, but promptly burst into flames, galloping off towards the town. Conquest vanished in a speeding ray of light, there one moment, gone the next. Famine was next to go, turning his horse and trotting into the crowd of Demonites, he and his thralls dissolving into a cloud of flies before following after the other two. Death eyes the crowds, before dark smoke began to vent out from the horse's mouth, and soon the horse and rider were gone from the clearing.

Sakhlam, taking advantage of the way every Demonite seemed to be looking away from him, open his gullet and sprayed his stream of crimson water through the crowd. Skeletons were disassembled by the raging tide, others simply washed away among bones and skulls. Most of the demons held their ground, though a small number were swept away. Ember's eyes widened as she saw the Envy demon rushing into the army, ramming away the cannon fodder with his powerful stream. Vivian was still nowhere in sight, but Sakhlam suspected that she was nearby. There was no reality in which she would truly leave Ember behind.

Springtrap raged, pointing an accusing finger at Sakhlam from his fixed height. **"Intruder!"** the spirit snarled, and at once every demon and Demonite began to move. Where Sakhlam had previously gone uncontested was a rising wall of bone and flesh, washing over him before he could destroy more of the Demonites with his stream. The crimson liquid still bubbled out from his throat, though it was now aimed uselessly towards the ground. Sakhlam gurgled, and then increased the power of his endless gullet. The demon was thrust into the air, dragging a few others with him as the sheer recoil of the blast sent demon and Demonite alike sprawling onto the ground. Whether Sakhlam knew it or not, he was a powerful demon in comparison to many of the lesser ones making up Springtrap's army; the rabbit was holding the heavy hitters for now.

Atop his tower, Springtrap dropped Ember's hair, kicking her over the side of the structure. The girl screamed as she fell, the sound abruptly stopping when she thumped against the ground. The rabbit, grunted, cracking his neck to the side, and at once the transformation began. As Sakhlam scrambled to his feet, looking up at the tower, he watched the glowing crystal shard which had previously gone unnoticed grow brighter from its position on Springtrap's back. From within the rabbit's suit came liquid metal, flowing over the rotten green fabric and forming a formidable layer of armor around the animatronic's damaged body. Coated head to toe, his head now slightly larger and teeth razor-sharp, the rabbit leaped down from his perch, a wave of dust rising the moment his feet made contact with the earth. As Sakhlam looked the rabbit in the eyes, he saw every trace of the gleeful playfulness Springtrap had been displaying wiped away as rapidly as dirt was washed away by a flood. The creature looking him in the eyes was no longer William Afton, the bunny man; it was the purple man, the unrepentant murderer, the monster, the killer. Springtrap clacked his jaw as he rose from his crouch, head twitching to the side.

As the demons converged from all sides, Sakhlam rapidly spun in a circle, spraying them all back before Springtrap could reach him. Ignoring Ember's still form on the ground, the rabbit slammed into Sakhlam with all the force of a speeding truck, jaw flapping open to crunch down on the demon's scales. The Envy demon twisted in the air, Springtrap fumbling for a moment too long and missing his opportunity. The two entities tumbled in the dirt, the spirit emerging above the demon, drawing back his hand. Razor-sharp claws popped out of the formerly flat fingers, and Sakhlam rolled to the side as far as he could to avoid the rabbit striking the earth, claws sinking into the dirt effortlessly. Without even pausing to register his movement the rabbit struck out again, his talons breaking away a few of Sakhlam scales as the fish got to his feet. Cursing at the damage, Sakhlam let loose another bout of water, hitting Springtrap in the chest. The animatronic wore a look of surprise as he was struck backward, flying over the sea of demons and slamming into an enormous tree. The wood groaned as the bunny slid to the ground, claws reaching out behind the rabbit's torso, swiveling in their sockets to bury into the tree and halt his descent.

Hatred in his eyes, Springtrap used the tree to propel himself back towards Sakhlam, landing among the swarm of demons rushing towards the Envy demon. His landing was rough, tumbling into two Demonites who were unable to get out of the way in time. Grimacing, Sakhlam made a hasty retreat, all the while still spraying his high-pressure stream of bloodied water. Springtrap ducked underneath the Envy demon's attack, carelessly sweeping another demon off their feet in favor of reaching Sakhlam faster. Crouching on all fours the spirit sprung into the air, arms spread wide. Sakhlam swiveled out of the way, but was caught by the edge of Springtrap's claws and dragged down to the earth regardless.

Spitting blood into the rabbit's face proved to achieve nothing as the spirit slugged him hard in the side of the face. Sakhlam slapped Springtrap's face on the way down, knocking the rabbit's head to the side, assisted the swiveling component of his endoskeleton. Sakhlam got to his feet, sending out another spray of water which Springtrap easily ducked before hammering into his side with a rapid flurry of punches accompanied by the rabbit's powerful claws. The Envy demon cried out as scales broke and fell away, sharp metal tearing into his flesh as the rabbit bore down upon him. Out of the wound sprayed the same bloody liquid, forcing Springtrap back long enough for Sakhlam to turn his head to the side and knock him back once again with another stream.

A Demonite jumped onto the demon's back, only to be blown away by another stream of water from the hole in his side. As more Demonites converged upon him Sakhlam spun, the water forcing them back or plain knocking their skulls off their bodies, effectively killing them. Springtrap's body swiveled around on the ground, torso and legs turning to embed themselves into the earth before the rabbit advanced once more upon the demon on all fours, rapidly speeding through the crowd of Demonites and leaving a cloud of dust behind him. He jumped over Sakhlam, claws catching at his jaws. With the momentum granted by the animatronic's robust legs, Springtrap pulled Sakhlam into the air before he flopped backwards onto the ground. The rabbit tumbled into the earth before quickly turning back, bounding back onto the demon's side and slamming his fist into his side.

Sakhlam gasped, glancing back towards Ember's body and watching smugly as Vivian dragged Ember's vulnerable body away from the fight, all attention directed away from them. Now that he didn't have to worry about them, he could go all out.

The demon roared, calling for the ocean, the tide, the great blue sea. He pulled at the swirling vortex he felt inside him, crying out as every bit of water from every tree, every underground pull, and every tiny bit of moisture in the air, formed above the crowd of demons and swept them away. Though Springtrap managed to hold fast with his claws, almost all of the remaining demons were swept away. The remaining ones were huge, mountains of claw and hide and muscle, great wide jaws and bulging eyes. But the outlier there was Scrap, Springtrap's lesser, speeding towards him like a freight train. Though he lacked the armored exterior of his leader, Scrap's spear-like arm more than made up for the lack of armor with sheer offensive power.

The second rabbit lunged, scraping Sakhlam's side as the fish shifted sideways, breaking through scales and piercing flesh. Water gushed out of the open wound, another stream to match the others. Scrap didn't waste time turning, spinning into a devastating roundhouse kick, striking Sakhlam along the jaw. Still reeling from the blow, the demon was unable to recover before Springtrap had arrived, the rabbit's armored fist smashing into the other side of Sakhlam's face. Another tidal wave began to form from the remnants of the last, but Springtrap quickly put an end to it, delivering another devastating blow to Sakhlam's side. The meager amount of gathered water splashed uselessly against the rabbit, who placed his foot onto the demon's side. Suddenly he twitched, as if wanting to turn back.

 **"Let me guess,"** Springtrap said, still not turning his head. **"If I turn around, I'm going to discover that she's missing."**

"No," Sakhlam lied badly, before being struck in the face.

 **"You're a terrible liar,"** Springtrap muttered, saying the obvious. **"It's pathetic."** Still, the rabbit refused to turn. **"Rodman's been a thorn in my side for a long time, demon. I've made many a gambit to get my hands on her. But I'm not an idiot. I go after her, and you continue to wreak havoc here. And that won't do. So I'll let her go, for now. But you? You're another case entirely."** The rabbit leaned down until his face was level with Sakhlam's. **"And if I kill you? Well, she's already broken. How much more can she take before becoming a basket case?"** The rabbit clamped his fingers around Sakhlam's jaw, and the demon pushed a stream of water out of the wound facing the ground, sending him flying back to his feet. Springtrap braced his hands against Sakhlam's body, but was struck back by the following stream from Sakhlam's other wounded side.

"You think you'll kill me?" he spat bitterly. "I will _never_ die to the likes of you, spirit." Scrap cried out, rushing forward with his spear. Sakhlam made quick work of him, spraying him over and rushing forwards, stamping down on the rabbit's chest. His endoskeleton was damaged, the frame bending irregularly as Scrap attempted to get back up, and failed. Sakhlam stomped downwards, Scrap crossing his arms to block the blow from reaching his spine. Before the Envy demon could deliver another strike, Springtrap's claws dug into his back, dragging Sakhlam away from Scrap. Jets of water burst from the newly formed wounds, forcing the rabbit's claws out of the demon's flesh, though Springtrap's feet dug into the ground, the animatronic standing tall. A hard blow to the side, another failed stabbing attempt from Scrap's jagged spear, and Sakhlam was spun round once again, narrowly avoiding a blow from a demon presumably of Eggel Hazahav, an enormous six-legged golden-haired behemoth whose belly hung as low as its knees. The enormous hump emerging from its slouching back and drooping face barely resembled a remarkably deformed camel, though from its jaws fell a vast waterfall of slobber and drool. The staggering demon clumsily swung one of its thick, bony legs, though in comparison to its enormous body it may as well have been a twig. Skin hanging loose from the limb, Sakhlam ducked down, barely avoiding the demon's overhead swipe. He let out a jet of water, hitting the demon right between the eyes. The demon cowered, the shaking mound of skin and flesh seemingly deflating as it rested on its four hind legs, two forelimbs shielding its face from Sakhlam's bloodied water.

 **"You think you can outlast us, demon?!"** Springtrap exclaimed, and in that moment Sakhlam heard a small fraction of the same madness which had possessed the rabbit earlier return for only a moment. **"I am William Afton! I am Springtrap! The Purple Man, the Fazbear Killer, the goddamned king of this town! This place _belongs_ to _me_!" **The rabbit raked his claws across Sakhlam's back, the demon rushing to the side as the blades failed to take hold or penetrate. **"And you!"** Sakhlam spat out another jet of water, Springtrap spinning away to narrowly avoid it as the jet continued on to slam into the camel-like demon, sending it down once more. **"Will not!"** Scrap leaped towards Sakhlam, the demon meeting him head-on as he head-butted the rabbit in his malformed chest, spitting water into the electrical circuits, mechanical limbs spasming. **"End me!"** Before Sakhlam could deliver the final blow and crush Scrap's skull, Springtrap was there, slamming into the demon's side with his eyes glowing purple. The rabbit pummelled the demon's body with his mechanical fists, each punch a perfectly calculated movement, hitting the most effective area on Sakhlam's side with cruel, cold accuracy. Servos whirred and coils unwound as Springtrap battered Sakhlam as one would a punching bag, forcing the demon down with a rapid flurry of powerful blows. With each punch more and more of the demon's scales cracked and fell away, leaving bare, exposed flesh. When enough of the scales were gone, out sprung the claws once more, and Springtrap plunged the blades into the demon's side, tearing out chunks of flesh, water and blood spraying out like a fountain. Undaunted, the rabbit continued, Sakhlam crying out with each chunk torn out, Springtrap continuing his assault even as he was showered in blood, guts and bile.

Sakhlam fell to the ground, weak and exhausted, and Springtrap stood above him, a chunk of raw meat still clutched in the rabbit's claws. Covered in blood and gore, the rabbit relished in the near silence present in the clearing, the only sound being Sakhlam's slow panting as the demon barely hung onto his life. Springtrap laughed as he knelt next to Sakhlam's wheezing form, the rabbit chucking the piece of flesh over his shoulder.

 **"You know, I was going to kill you,"** the mad spirit said as he stared at his fallen foe. **"But that would be pointless. I've realized something, during our fight. Doing this, crippling you, it was never about ending your life. It was about sending a message."** The exhausted demon managed to crack open an eye as the rabbit voiced his thoughts aloud, breathing deeply as his body slowly regenerated his flesh and blood. **"Leaving you here, nearly dead, when I could have killed you? Now that… that sends a message."** Sakhlam's eyes widened as the rabbit stood, his attention going to Scrap.

His companion's chest had been caved in by Sakhlam's feet, the electronics now smoking and sputtering as Scrap struggled to in an attempt to get to his feet. Looking at Scrap's chest, Springtrap knew that the animatronic was going to die, no matter what he did. Even if Sakhlam had managed to smash his skull, it only would have sped up the process. He was doomed from the moment Sakhlam's foot went down upon his chest.

 **"You were good. You were great, really."** Springtrap's voice was surprisingly full of emotion; he sounded genuinely upset. **"You fought for me. For years."** Scrap was unable to speak—already he was losing clarity, the world no longer visible to the animatronic's eyes. **"You followed me, even though I acted like a madman,"** Springtrap muttered. **"Kept me company. You deserve better than this."** He looked at Sakhlam, then sighed. **"And I'm sorry I can't give you more."** Scrap tried to say something, but Springtrap shook his head. **"I'm sorry. I'm really am. But I have a plan now. I intend to stay true to it."** Sakhlam closed his eyes as the rabbit began to trudge away, footsteps long and in between. Soon the demons followed after him, leaving the two behind.

As Scrap twitched uselessly, Sakhlam steadily got to his feet, limbs weak and unsteady as he walked. Each step was a shaking gamble, the slightest twitch to the left and he would be sprawled out on the floor once more. Five times he fell. Four times, he rose again. For the fifth time he fell was from no fault of his own, but the presence of the one approaching.

As the Pale Rider arrived, so did the darkness. A cloud of black nothingness, enshrouding the Horseman like a cloak. A skeleton atop his pale horse, scythe dragging in the dirt. As the Harbinger's aura expanded, Sakhlam was forced down onto his knees, grunting in pain as the Horseman dismounted from his steed. Bone touched the earth, and at once it cowered and shriveled beneath his feet.

"Springtrap. He left you alive." Sakhlam laughed, shaking his head.

"Left me for dead, more like, with you here. What did he tell you? To make you come back here?"

"Springtrap told me nothing," Death said truthfully. "I am here of my own accord, demon."

"Why?" Sakhlam gasped, a dribble of water running down his chin. "You came to kill me?"

"I came here to correct a mistake," Death replied, and the demon laughed once more.

"To kill me, then," he muttered. "I must admit, this wasn't the way I was expecting to go. Killed by Death himself."

"Some would call this an honor," the Harbinger mused. "I say they are fools."

"Aye," Sakhlam agreed. "Whether you die with a knife in your back or your lungs full of blood, you die all the same. As am I about to."

"Have you no fear?"

"Some," Sakhlam admitted. "I won't be there for her."

"The girl? Rodman?

"Yes."

"She will die too. You are aware of this," the Horseman said.

"We all do, in the end," Sakhlam said. "We all have our time and place. I'd wager that you do too. Are you even the original?"

"The only one," Death admitted. "They tell me I'm old fashioned. But that would be War."

"I saw enough of him, yes," Sakhlam muttered. "Loud and boisterous, that one."

"He never learned to be quiet," Death said. "Never listened unless it was all of us talking against him."

"Is this what we're going to do? Sit around and talk?" Sakhlam asked, and Death raised the scythe.

"It will happen whenever it will happen," the Harbinger said, and Sakhlam smiled.

"Do I get any last words?" he asked, and the Harbinger seemed to actually consider it. Then the scythe shifted in his grasp.

"You've used them," the Pale Rider said coldly as the scythe plunged downwards, and Sakhlam knew no more.


End file.
